Japan Narita Customs - Importing prescription medication on prohibited list
 

Hello, let me start off by saying that I know what I would like to do is illegal, but please don't respond with moral criticism, I am asking a legitimate question and would really only like legitimate answers.

So a couple months ago I got diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed Adderall, which has been a godsend for me, my life has improved dramatically. In a couple months I am going to Japan for a year and would like to take it with me, however it's illegal. I am coming in through Narita, and after that will take a domestic flight between Haneda and Sapporo (New Chitose). Really I am only worried about customs at Narita.

I am not going to try and smuggle them, I am bringing a 3 month supply in the prescription bottle with the label as well as a signed letter from my doctor. Should I put these in my carry-on (a backpack) or checked luggage?
My plan was to just put them in either bag and not declare them on customs forms and generally hope that no one decides to go through my bag. The customs form does not ask about prescription medication, it lists as prohibited articles: Narcotic drugs, stimulants, marijuana, psychotropic substances, MDMA etc. . My ideal scenario is that I don't declare anything and they wave me through customs. I have gone through Narita customs once and Osaka customs once and both times customs was a breeze. I have heard that they do random bag checks, but I have never seen this happen.

Generally I believe I have a good chance of making it through. I have never had my bags checked (although I don't know if they check checked luggage) nor have I had any special questioning, I am a young white male, but I don't think I look suspicious. Also, as I have to receive my resident card right when I get there (I already have my Visa), I will go to a separate line than citizens/foreigners, where they will have to process some paperwork, which could provide a good distraction from inspecting my bags.

What my question really is then is what if they do decide to go through my bag and find the Adderall? I have heard some pretty dark stories about Narita Customs if they catch you doing something illegal. If they find it I am just going to plead ignorance + show them its a legal prescription so they know I'm not a smuggler. I hope that if this happens they will just confiscate the Adderall and let me go, but I am worried that even if I plead ignorance they will arrest me or send me home with no chance of coming back.

So yeah, let me know if this is possible, if I can get pretty reassured that even if they do catch it they will let me go, I am going to try this, but if I am not sure that getting caught won't lead to prison, I won't try to do this. Thanks!

I have no moral criticism or even moral comment to offer. But, I do have some points of order:

Adderall is a stimulant and is a prohibited item in Japan. By not declaring it on your Customs form, you are making a false Customs declaration.

Also, you ARE in fact trying to smuggle them. The fact that it is for your own personal use and not for resale/redistribution, was prescribed by a doctor for a legitimate medical need, and is legal in the US all has no bearing on the situation. You are knowingly trying to import a prohibited item - that's the definition of smuggling.

I roughly fit that description (or at least did when I first started visiting Japan), and have had my bags inspected at least twice upon entry. Once, they went through my smaller bag, including my toiletries bag, and would have found any medication that I had in there. The other time, I must have really piqued the inspector's interest, as in addition to a bag search including a search for false compartments, he had me take off my shoes and felt in between my toes! I have no idea what made them suspicious of me - for all I know, it could have been completely random. But most of the them, they search nothing, and maybe ask an extra question at most.

I guess that's the whole point of doing random searches: one never knows for sure when one will be searched, and that provides a deterrent against smuggling by those that otherwise would not fit the profile that would cause them to be searched for cause.

I am not a lawyer or an expert on Japanese law. The following is only supposition on my part, and should in no way be taken for legal advice. And you should read this before proceeding with your plan:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/...#drug_offenses

Drug offenses are taken very seriously in Japan. The worst thing that can happen to you is detainment, several months wait in a Japanese prison for a trial, and if convicted, which you almost certainly would be, a prison sentence of five years or more.

More likely you would be detained for several days, and when you were lucky enough to get in touch with your embassy, and they are sympathetic to your cause, you may only need to be detained for a few weeks before they decide to merely deport you (on your own dime) and prevent you from ever being admitted into Japan again.

And don't think that having some connections, or only having the drug for your personal use, will get you off the hook. It didn't work for this somewhat famous guy.

So obviously, I think that any attempt to bring this drug into the country secretly is a bad idea. If it is really important to you, bring it up with an Embassy or Consulate before you leave, and see if there is any legal exception that can be made for you.

Lest you think Japan is overly severe, it is still better than Singapore, where the punishment for such an offense is death...

(1) I've heard that Japanese customs don't kick up a big fuss over certain cough medicines that aren't legal in Japan - they just confiscate them and let the passenger go on her way, apparently.

(2) I know that the consequences for folks who smuggle recreational drugs typically involve jail sentences.

I doubt whether anyone on this forum can tell you for sure whether a person caught smuggling Adderall would be treated as (1) or (2) or something between the two. Safest thing would be to visit without it or not visit.

Thanks you guys^

To Steve M: I agree it is smuggling, I was using smuggling more in the sense that I would try to hide it within my bag in like secret compartments or something similar, basically in a way that directly implies I am trying to sneak them in. I actually read a story about someone that tried to sneak thousands of ecstasy tablets into Japan by lining it in his bag.

I honestly before this didn't even know Adderall was classified as a stimulant, if I hadn't done some research I really would've tried to bring it in without knowing!

And I guess that might be random, or you might have something associated with your name that keeps bringing the authorities. I have only been through Japanese customs three times, but I have never seen a bag checked, someone questioned, or drug dogs. Maybe I'm just lucky though.

To Hailstorm: I don't think the Paul McCartney case really applies to my situation, he had previously been denied entry for drug charges, so they were going to specially search his stuff in the first place, and then he tried to bring a 1/2 pound of marijuana in. MJ is illegal pretty much everywhere, and even though he said its for personal use, its not medically prescribed by a doctor.

I like the Singapore comparison, cause its kinda what I based my idea on. I would NEVER try to bring Adderall into Singapore, because they are so crazy about that kinda stuff. But I can't believe that in Japan, if a young college student who planned to live there for a year brought a legally prescribed medication, although illegal, they would throw the book at him.

I guess I am looking for stories of people that have ever been detained with similar things and what the outcome was? Cause really the only stories I can find with similarities to mine are people that have brought Adderall into Japan without even knowing it was illegal/people bringing in large amounts of pills and never being asked. The scary stories are people genuinely trying to sneak illegal drugs in.

Thanks jib71^

1: Yeah I've heard that too, I can't believe that customs hasn't run into tons of tourists who didn't realize their medications were illegal. If this was anything lower like codeine I wouldn't even be questioning this, but Adderall is a a special kind of medication that is much more serious. I hope if they find mine they just throw it away, besides if I don't actually get it through customs its not really smuggling, and if they can't prove I intended to smuggle it... but this is also Japan so doesn't really matter.

2. Wow, that case! 41,120 pills of ecstasy and 992.5 grams of cocaine?!?! And he tried to say the bag was not his. The case does certainly worry me, but with that much drugs I would kinda expect that.

Yeah, I actually pretty much just said no to the idea of taking them with me when I learned they are illegal, but my own mother convinced me I should do it and she actually works at an airport hahaha

Your mother works in a Japanese airport? If not, her experience is completely irrelevant.

All I can do is give what I think is the worst case scenario and let you decide if it's worth it.

The best case scenario is that you get away with it and you bring in three months worth of medicine for a one year stay, so it sounds like you're going to have to eventually learn to live without it anyway...

Thanks^ I agree, she does not work at a Japanese airport, but she does generally know how customs work (aka, if I was going the other way, out of Japan, I would never even attempt this as bags are screened at departing airports, and unless you are chosen they are not checked at the arriving airport.) and has gone through Narita multiple times, so she does have some good input. She's had similar experiences, never being searched or seen anyone searched, and she was actually surprised to learn that she brought in some illegal pain medications, which she didn't know at the time.

My prescription is a bit overpowered, so I could stretch the three months out :)

At Narita:
- I've had my bags opened on at least two occasions
- On one of those occasions I had to pay a few hundred yen to import an item
- I've seen people being escorted away from the general customs area
- I've seen sniffer dogs near the baggage carousels
- I've met people who told me they'd had items confiscated

Of course, I don't see what goes on behind the scenes. But on the surface, this doesn't strike me as less aggressive than what I experience at US airports. At ORD last week, for example, the person in front of me I handed over her customs form and was directed to step aside for a bag inspection. I was told to go on my way.

I've had to open my bags every time I have entered Japan. Sometimes they just look superficially, but I've also been taken to the separate room where I even had to take off my clothes excluding the underwear. I'm a white male in my thirties and I don't generally get singled out to any special checks. I don't even know if they just wave through anybody in Japanese customs. They have huge amounts of customs counters in airports, so they can certainly handle big crowds without having to wave through (at least non-Japanese) people.

Wow^ generally people fall into two camps with Narita Customs, thats its a breeze to get through or it can turn into a complete nightmare. Generally though I have never heard of anyone trying to bring in a legal prescription, in its original bottle, with a letter by the doctor, being thrown in to jail. Always the stories people show me are people with 10,000+ pills of ecstasy who were definitely trying to smuggle it in. I think I am going to take the chance of it, I think my saving graces are that I will be getting my residence card when I arrive, so I have to go to a special customs line anyways and fill out paperwork when I land, and hopefully if I am taking the time to do all that they won't hassle or select me for bag searching. Also, I am bringing in a bunch of other pills/cremes. In total other than the Adderall I am bringing in 45 pills of Malarone and 15 pills of Ciproflaxacin as well as a tube of Tazorac and Finacea, both prescription cremes. I think on the customs form I am just going to say 'Medications' and if they ask me just start kinda listing them, hopefully the big English words will muddle together and with reassurances that they are all prescription it will be ok.

And this got me thinking... am I even allowed to bring those? hahaha

Thats crazy! I posted this same question in the Asia section and people have told me they have had their bag checked, but never that they have been forced to remove clothing! I would never return after that. I have only ever gotten my bag checked once coming back from Japan in LAX and I was pretty livid.

I guess intense questioning/searching is more common than I thought at NRT. When I said waved through I didn't mean that they just let me not even go through passport checks, I still did that and talked to an immigration official, I mean that after standing in line they asked me a couple simple questions and then let me go grab my bag and I left. Customs in Japan have been the easiest for me, moreso than America (although Germany and Belgium were a breeze too), however I've never traveled anywhere with large amounts of medication hahah.

So after forcing you to strip, what happened? Did they tell you why they singled you out?

What is your risk tolerance?

If I were to say, and these aren't even ballpark estimates, just numbers I'm pulling out of my ... for this mental exercise, but if were able to tell you that there was a 20% chance you would get caught, a 5% you would be detained and deported, and a 0.1% chance you would face a long prison sentence, would you consider that a risk worth taking?

I think it's a complete breeze to get through and it can turn into a nightmare. FWIW, the same can be said of customs in every country I have ever visited.

If they take an interest in the medications, "big English words" won't put them off the scent. Have a story and stick to it.

Hailstorm -

I guess I'd like smaller than that plus an added category. 20% chance I could be caught, 19% chance they would just confiscate it but let me in, 1% chance they would detain and deport me, .01% chance I face a long term prison sentence.

jib71 -

True. And with the story, I mean, it has to happen based on what they ask me. But hopefully, I put down medication on the customs form (though I don't know where... cause it doesn't have medication listed nor a section to add a note) and when they ask me about it I just assure them it is all prescription and I have a letter from my doctor to have it and they are only for personal use. If they ask specifically what it is, I'll list the names, Malarone, Citroflaxacin, Adderall, Tazorac and Finacea. If they spark up at the Adderall then I hand it over, act dumb and plead for forgiveness. Generally though I don't think they will have all of these names memorized, and if I can get it through the customs guy with saying the name of it and then they decide to search my bag, at least I can say I was let through ;) but it all depends on the course of the conversation, I'll try to stay as vague as possible until I basically will just have to give in.

I think it'll work, and if I get detained I don't think they will throw the book at me. But this remains to be seen, I am not 100% sure I will do it. And I of course invite more suggestions/criticism.

Hmmm - I really can't advise you on how to present this.

Anything else I have to say would be moral commentary, which you don't want. You're just looking for somebody to validate your plan, and that's not something that I'll be able to do for you.

Good luck.

I think it was just a random check. It was in KIX and it was quite quiet period. I walked into the first vacant customs counter. The officer asked me to open my bag, and as I was doing it, some other officer came and said something in Japanese, and the officer instructed me to follow him. I was taken into small room with two or three customs officers and they politely asked me to remove my clothes excluding the underwear. They emptied my bags and went through my clothes and other stuff quite thoroughly but reasonably quickly. They didn't touch me at all and after they were done they repacked my bags more neatly than they were packed originally. While they were doing it, they asked where I was going to stay in Japan, and when I answered Tokyo, they asked why I was in KIX. I just answered it was the most convenient and cheapest connection that time, and they were satisfied. They were very polite and spoke better English than some of the border officials I have encountered over there. After they were done, they welcomed me into Japan, apologized the inconvenience, and probably went to get their next victim.

The whole thing took less than ten minutes and I wasn't offended at all, since I was not in a hurry and they acted very professionally and politely. But I've never similar experience, or even close to that before or after. But as I said, every time in Japan, I've had to at least open my bags. I am an EU citizen and always arrived from EU, if that makes any difference.

Wow, see right when they asked me to remove all of my clothing is when things would go wrong, no way am I taking off my clothes for these people unless they give me some legitimate reasoning. I almost got arrested when I was came back through LAX when the police officer/customs official went through my bag. It wasn't just that he went through it, but he had the worst attitude from the beginning and was incredibly demeaning, and at the end after he took everything out and spread it around he asked me to put it back in :mad: after fighting a bit and him threatening to arrest me he finally put some of it back in :D . But oh well, I am still struggling with this^ I would really like to bring my Adderall, but I just don't want the risk. If it was like, vicks vaporub or sudafed, the kinda BS stuff they ban I wouldn't even care, but Adderall is so sketchy. I think I've just come to the conclusion that I am only going to bring one month of it, and have a list of all the medications I am bringing signed by my doctor, and show it to them at the customs window and hope for the best!

I don't recall ever having to open my bags when entering Japan.
Only times I remember having to open bags at NRT is when entering the airport from the train station.

I think everything hailstorm has said in this thread, despite the denial immediately above, has been a moral commentary.

This is a medication which makes your quality of life dramatically better. If I were in your situation, for something that important, I would try to get all the medical documentation I could, and then bring it with me. Assuming a 90 day supply is not too bulky, I'd put it in carry-on, so it doesn't get lost or stolen along the way.

If customs raised objections, I would politely explain the reasoning for it and show the documentation establishing that your medical team agrees. While it is always possible to encounter a jerk, overall, my very limited experience is that Japan customs officers are reasonable if approached in a polite, calm, rational manner.

Risk tolerance
 

1. This is all about risk tolerance and not about morality. OP knows that what he asks about is a crime under Japanese law and could result in his imprisonment, imposition of a fine and exclusion from Japan functionally forever.

2. The USA too has prohibited substances (try bringing in marijuana lawfully purchased in Amsterdam -- despite the current kerffufle --) and explaining that to CBP here.

3. There is zero way to assign risk probabilities. It's like Russian Roulette. If there's no bullet, that's great. If there is one, it's very bad.

If it's a 1% chance, is it worth it? Only OP can answer.

Adderall is an amphetamine-type narcotic and so would be illegal in Japan; however similar drugs are prescribed medically in Japan (not sure on this exact brand). It is perfectly possible to bring in small amounts of prescription drugs that would otherwise be illegal in Japan, even psychoactive drugs, with permission from the ministry of health. This permission is equivalent to holding a prescription from Japanese doctor. You need to apply for a Yakkan Shoumei (薬監証明) in advance, if granted you can show customs and they will compare it to your medication and allow it no problems.

You won't be allowed a year's supply, so it's probably worth researching psychiatrists in Japan that could prescribe similar drugs for your time here.

Your entry into Japan and issue of resident card are dealt with at the border before you collect your bags. Customs check/searches take place separately. Drugs dogs are often patrolling the baggage hall; they will approach from behind and would check you without you even knowing - it is possible that your amphetamines-based drug could trigger a positive reaction. No sure why you tell us, but white males are particularly suspicious in Japan where drugs are concerned.

So, a few things:

1) Make no mistake, what you are proposing is, in fact, smuggling. If you cross a border and knowingly bring something that is illegal or fail to declare something you're supposed to declare, that's smuggling.

2) Aderall is most certainly a stimulant, so their customs form covers its disclosure.

3) I'm not speaking from experience on this, but if you're getting a resident card isn't your chances of a search a lot higher? That said, I've entered Japan at NRT multiple times and never once had to open my bags or answer a single question verbally.

I can't really tell you if you should take it or not since you're the only one that can really judge the risk/reward. Is there another way you can bring it with you, or an alternate drug in the same category that's legal in Japan?

One data point: Two short trips through Japan, no bags looked at.

Four trips to Japan via NRT. Only once did Japanese customs inspect one of our suitcases and that was just a quick open with a cursory examination of its contents.

Nogbad's advice seems to be spot on.

Would you care to elaborate on what makes you think so? From my point of view, I have told the OP what I considered to be the worst case scenario for his plan, asked him to consider his risk tolerance, and told him that he needs to make the decision for himself.

Have I made a moral judgement on the issue? Of course I have. But I don't see where such judgement was explicitly stated.

I think there's a certain something in these turns of phrase... When I read them, I hear the voice of Sister Immaculata...

If you could just add a "wicked child" here and there, it would take me right back to St. Augustin's.

Those are all your interpretations of tone, not statements of morality. The OP has stated from the start that he knows his plan to be illegal, so I believe all of those mentions were fair game.

Asking people for advice is one thing, but expecting them to not have an opinion that colors their choice of words somewhat is, IMHO, a bit too much to ask for.

It does not seem like a very good idea:

You realize even if they don't arrest you they could simply force you to buy a plane ticket back immediately and ban you from Japan in the future? The fact that you were almost arrested in LAX with a simple bag search leads me to believe if you do get searched at NRT you will handle it so poorly that you'll be lucky not to go to jail or be deported at the very least.

True. It's a drag when people seek validation for "I should be compensated for my own stupid mistake" stories (for example) and try to pre-empt the inevitable backlash with a "Don't tell me that it's my fault" prequel. Feck 'em.

Still ... You do sound like Sister Immaculata. :p

Fair enough. I will reflect on how I can prevent giving off a Holier-than-thou tone that others seem to have picked up.

Just so the OP is aware of the official Japan position on this:

http://kouseikyoku.mhlw.go.jp/kantos...nes_070618.pdf

The wording of this really makes me doubt that they would stop at simply confiscating the medicine if they found it on the OP's person.

Well spotted. There is no chance of import approval then and it's not just customs and the sniffer dogs you would have to worry about. A doctor's letter isn't going to get you out of this. That they specifically mention your drug brand would suggest that they are on the look out for this and have come across it before. Not only are there sniffer dogs, but the customs officials are very good at detecting nervousness in there short questioning - I have seen bags searches going on every time I've passed customs.

You're best off looking into alternatives with your doctor before you leave or discussing with a Japanese-based physician in advance about possible treatment for your time in Japan.

It is worth noting the Yakkan Shoumei procedure for anyone else who comes across this - it's required for more than a month's supply of any medicine or anything injectable.

Interesting thread. I can sympathize with the OP in principle, but this is certainly a risk.

More datapoints on customs.. I've been through about 50 times in the last 3 years, coming from a variety of places intra Asia and America. Once in 50 times they have decided to open my bag and run through it. Customs official kept asking me if I had a gun. Strange. Obviously I didn't. It took about 5 minutes and I was through.

Every other time it's been a couple of questions and a nod and I'm done. What's interesting is that I have brought over plenty of medication (personal, required medical use), some in prescription containers and some in OTC drug bottles. Even in that scenario where they checked my luggage thoroughly, they ignored my toiletry bag and certainly didn't inspect drug labels.

In some sense for the OP this is all about risk tolerance and weighing need versus that risk. I'd certainly suggest OP contact the embassy beforehand though and see what options, if any, are available.

In 30+ entries to Japan in the past few years, I have never had my bags searched as a 20-something white male (fluent in Japanese, which may make a difference). However, I would absolutely not attempt what you are proposing for two reasons:

1. There are random (or not-so-random) searches. I have always seen at least a few people being searched whenever I go through customs. There are routinely roaming drugs dogs. If you are searched, they will have you both on making a false declaration and importing an illegal substance. Drugs offenses are not treated lightly in Japan, and at the very least, you would be detained for some time and deported with a ban on returning to Japan; at worst, you could face many years in prison. Quite simply, you absolutely do not want to get involved with the Japanese justice system, which has a near-perfect conviction rate, harsh penalties, and a dismal human rights record.

2. Because you know you are doing something illegal, you are likely to exhibit signs of nervousness as you go through customs. The officers are trained to pick up on this, and the fact that you are nervous will make you much, much more likely to be searched than anyone reporting their experiences here (where they are not knowingly doing anything illegal). And when this happens, see point number one above.

I would strongly advise against what you are suggesting, and would recommend pursuing an application for a 薬監証明書 (characters above were incorrect, FYI in case you try to go Googling) or looking into potential options for getting a local prescription after arrival as Nogbad suggests.

This could work for narcotics, but the previously mentioned government documentation does not provide for any exceptions to be made in the case of banned stimulants.

You are, of course, correct; I was erroneously just repeating the suggestion made previously without confirming. I just read the full details of the 薬監証明書 procedure here, and amphetamines (including Adderall) are indeed banned under all circumstances.