Buying GLP-1 medicines in Japan: approvals and import rules

Getting treatment in Japan and bringing your own supply are separate

You face two separate questions. The first is whether a clinician in Japan can prescribe a suitable locally authorised medicine. The second is whether you can bring in a medicine prescribed elsewhere for your own treatment. Decide which applies to you, how long you will stay and whether you will need a local refill during the visit.

For product information, use PMDA and MHLW records. The product sections below confirm the injection approvals and explain why one active ingredient may carry different brands and indications in Japan. The newer oral products need their own authorisation check. Permission to bring a personal supply also differs from permission to market a product in Japan.

Mounjaro in Japan is licensed for type 2 diabetes

Japan approved Mounjaro Ateos injections (tirzepatide) for type 2 diabetes on 26 September 2022, according to the PMDA approval list. The Japanese prescribing information still names type 2 diabetes as the use. Strengths run from 2.5 mg to 15 mg. A local doctor decides whether you are suitable, and pharmacies may not stock every strength.

For obesity, PMDA records tirzepatide under a separate brand, Zepbound, approved in December 2024. Do not assume Japan uses Mounjaro's UK weight-management licence. Ask the Japanese clinician which locally authorised product and indication apply. Brand differences matter clinically even with the same active ingredient. Never order one product and follow the other's instructions.

Wegovy injection in Japan has strict obesity criteria

PMDA records Japanese approval of Wegovy subcutaneous injections on 27 March 2023. The approval covers obesity in people with hypertension, hyperlipidaemia or type 2 diabetes who have not responded well enough to diet and exercise. They must also have either a BMI of at least 35, or a BMI of at least 27 with at least two obesity-related comorbidities. A generic UK BMI threshold does not replace these criteria.

These criteria come from the cited Japanese approval. They are no self-assessment tool and no complete reimbursement policy. A Japanese clinician should confirm the current package insert and any optimal-use and insurance requirements. The record covers injections, including the listed 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg presentations. Oral Wegovy and higher injection doses approved elsewhere fall outside this approval.

Wegovy tablets in Japan have no confirmed approval

The PMDA records cited below show no Japanese authorisation for Wegovy tablets. The product is not necessarily banned. If a clinic offers an oral product, ask the clinic to name the medicine, its Japanese authorisation and its indication. A diabetes tablet containing semaglutide is a different product from the Wegovy pill. A foreign clinical trial or leaflet attached to a Japanese review dossier is no proof of an approved use in Japan.

Foundayo and orforglipron have no confirmed approval in Japan

The primary records cited below confirm no Japanese marketing authorisation for Foundayo or orforglipron. UK and US decisions say nothing about Japanese approval or pharmacy stock. If a clinic offers an imported product, ask for the specific legal and clinical basis. If you already have a prescription from abroad, work through the separate MHLW personal import requirements for the actual ingredient, presentation and quantity. A foreign brand name or a seller's willingness to ship settles nothing.

Check Import Confirmation before you pack

MHLW publishes an English guide to bringing personal medicines into Japan. The standard allowance covers up to one month of prescription medicines without Import Confirmation, subject to stated conditions and exclusions. Pay close attention to injections and devices. The guidance describes pre-filled syringes and self-injection kits, and its questions and answers cover medicines that come with syringes. Loose needles, injectors and injectable products do not all fall within an exemption.

If your quantity or presentation falls outside the allowance, ask whether you need Import Confirmation before you travel. The official online application is called the Import Confirmation system. Older travel advice may use other terms. Controlled substances have extra rules and need a separate check. Another medicine needing a special permit says nothing about whether a GLP-1 medicine is controlled.

Count your supply from the prescription

Make a simple list with the generic name, brand, strength, number of tablets or pens, prescribed frequency and total treatment period. A monthly box, a multidose device and a single-dose pen may hold different quantities, so the box size alone misleads. If the packaging leaves the duration unclear, ask the relevant MHLW office how to express the quantity. Include the equipment your prescribed treatment needs.

Do not alter labels, tip tablets into an unmarked container or remove the dispensing label to make a supply look smaller. Clear packaging helps officials identify the medicine and helps a clinician if you need care. Keep a copy of the prescription or a doctor's letter with the medicine, and carry digital copies as a backup. If you need a translation, keep the original with the translated version.

Book a local appointment before a long stay

If you are moving to Japan or staying beyond your permitted supply, find a suitable local clinical service before you leave. Ask whether the service can review your condition and past treatment, which documents it needs and whether staff explain things in a language you understand. A Japanese clinician will treat your foreign prescription as part of your history. The same brand and presentation may not be supplied locally.

Keep a written record of past doses, dates, response and side effects. If a Japanese clinician proposes a different product, ask why the product suits you and get its own instructions. Do not use a forum conversion table to switch between oral and injectable medicines. Administration requirements, indications and device designs differ, so a simple milligram comparison is unreliable.

Ask about cost, stock and insurance in Japan

An authorised product may carry clinical or reimbursement conditions that affect your access. Ask the clinic which costs you will pay, whether your insurance is accepted, whether tests or repeat appointments cost extra and which pharmacy will supply the prescription. If an online service mainly targets visitors, check the accountable clinical and dispensing organisations before you pay.

Ask which strength is available and what the prescriber recommends if yours is out of stock. Another semaglutide product is no automatic replacement, and an overseas-branded tablet is no substitute. Where no current Japanese authorisation is confirmed, the clinic should show you the product record and explain any exceptional pathway it proposes.

Protect the medicine while you travel

Long flights, airport transfers and hotel storage all complicate treatment. Ask the dispensing pharmacist for advice on your exact product and device. Find out the allowed conditions during travel, what to do if the cold chain breaks and whether your storage equipment is suitable. Hotel minibars are unreliable, and direct contact with ice causes a different problem from warmth.

Carry any official import correspondence with your medical documents. Recheck the rules before you leave, and check the rules for your return destination too. Permission from Japan does not cover another country. The official process is linked below. You get no blanket customs clearance, no approved seller list and no guarantee of a local refill for any GLP-1 medicine.