Can I bring CBD to Japan?

By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-09-25

The short answer

CBD (cannabidiol) is not a controlled substance in Japan. What is controlled is THC, and since December 2024 Japan sets residual THC limits so low that many products sold legally abroad don't meet them. A product over the limit is legally a narcotic, whatever the label says about CBD.

  • CBD oils and powders: THC must be at or below 10 ppm (0.001%).
  • Gummies, capsules, tablets, vape liquids, balms, edibles: at or below 1 ppm.
  • Drinks and other water-based products: at or below 0.1 ppm.
  • CBN (cannabinol): a designated substance since 1 June 2026. Products containing it are banned.
  • Anything sold as containing THC, including US "hemp-derived" delta-8 or delta-9 gummies and medical cannabis: banned, no permit, no exception for a medical card.

For the general rules, see Bringing your medication to Japan.

Why "THC-free" on the label isn't enough

"Full spectrum" products contain THC by design, usually well above these limits. "Broad spectrum" and "isolate" products are made to have none, but "THC-free" on a label typically means below the detection threshold of whatever test the maker used, not below 1 ppm. The US legal threshold for hemp is 0.3% THC, which is 3,000 ppm; a product can be entirely legal at home and 300 times over Japan's limit for a gummy.

The only way to know is a certificate of analysis (COA) from a lab, showing the THC result in ppm or a percentage you can convert. Many makers publish one for each batch. If yours doesn't, you can't demonstrate the product is within the limit, and neither can we.

What enforcement looks like

Since the new limits took effect, Japan's health ministry and prefectural authorities have repeatedly announced CBD products found over the limit, including gummies, wax, vape liquids and a drink, and have told people holding them to hand them in. Those cases involved products sold in Japan. We don't have figures on how often travelers' CBD is examined at the border, and we can't tell you what would happen in any individual case. What we can say is that possession of a product over the limit is treated as possession of a narcotic, and that customs doesn't run a lab test to give you the benefit of the doubt.

CBN

Cannabinol (CBN) is a different cannabinoid, often sold in "sleep" blends. Japan designated it a controlled substance effective 1 June 2026, so products containing CBN can't be brought in, sold or possessed. Check the ingredient list of any "CBD + CBN" product before packing it.

Cannabis and THC products

Cannabis in any form, medical or otherwise, is a narcotic in Japan. A prescription or a medical cannabis card from another country changes nothing. This includes:

  • Flower, pre-rolls, concentrates
  • THC gummies and edibles, including hemp-derived delta-8 and delta-9 products that are legal in parts of the US
  • THC vape cartridges
  • Prescription cannabis products from countries where they're legal

If you use CBD for a health reason

CBD products that meet the domestic limits are sold in shops and online in Japan; we don't test, endorse or recommend any of them. If you rely on a product from home, the questions to work through before you fly are whether you can get a COA showing it's within Japan's limits, and whether a Japanese-market product would do instead. What CBD does or doesn't do for any condition is outside what this page covers.

Before you travel

  • Read the ingredient list for THC, CBN and "full spectrum".
  • Get the COA for your batch and check the THC figure against the limit for your product type.
  • If you can't get a COA, or the figure is over, leave it at home.
  • Don't bring anything sold as cannabis or THC, whatever its legal status where you live.

The Japan Medication Entry Check

If CBD is one of several products on your list and you want the whole list checked, the Japan Medication Entry Check is a written review by a licensed pharmacist in Japan. We go through each item, tell you which category it falls into and what paperwork it needs, with links to the official pages. For CBD, that means comparing the THC figure on your COA against Japan's limit for that product type, together with you. We don't test products ourselves, so without a COA there is nothing for us to compare. It isn't an official ruling, and it isn't a decision about your health or whether to bring the product. The price is US$200, with additional items at US$20 each.

See the Entry Check — US$200

Official sources

I am a pharmacist. I cannot diagnose you or tell you to stop a medicine your doctor has prescribed.