Is Scopolamine (Devil's Breath) legal in Japan?
- Legal status
- Scopolamine (hyoscine) is a pharmaceutical, not a narcotic: scopolamine hydrobromide and scopolamine butylbromide (Buscopan) are approved under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Act (PMDA/MHLW) and are not listed under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act.
- Consequences if caught
- Scopolamine carries no narcotics-control penalty; supply outside the approved pharmaceutical channel is a pharmaceuticals-law matter only.
- If prescribed or medical
- Prescription Buscopan (scopolamine butylbromide) is dispensed for spasm and an OTC 'Buscopan A' version is sold in pharmacies; scopolamine hydrobromide is used clinically (premedication).
- Documentation
- Scopolamine/butylscopolamine products are PMDA-approved pharmaceuticals; travellers carry the medicine lawfully with documentation.
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 →