Is Barbiturates legal in Japan?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are controlled psychotropics under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act, classed by compound: secobarbital, pentobarbital and amobarbital are Class 2 psychotropics (第二種向精神薬) while phenobarbital and barbital sit in the lower Class 3 (第三種向精神薬), mirroring the 1971 Convention tiers.
- Consequences if caught
- Unlicensed import over the certificate-free limit is a drug-control offence (seizure and possible prosecution).
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is prescribed as a Class 3 psychotropic antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the higher-tier sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are more tightly controlled and rarely used.
- Documentation
- No Yakkan Shoumei import certificate is needed for a non-injection personal supply at or below the tabled ceiling; above that, or for injectable forms, obtain the certificate before arrival.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Japan’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →