Cannabis laws in Japan
Illegal
Recreational cannabis is strictly illegal in Japan — up to seven years for unauthorized possession or use, and one to ten years for unauthorized import or export.
Official sources checked November 7, 2026. This is news information, not legal advice. Laws and local penalties change — confirm with the destination's official sources before you travel.
Before you fly
Carrying cannabis across a border is treated separately from possessing it inside the country. Even where buying is legal, taking it onto a plane can be a customs or smuggling offence, and a domestic flight can become an international one the moment you connect somewhere else.
Current law at a glance
- Buying and possessing
- There are no legal recreational cannabis stores and no recreational possession allowance. Current Health, Labour and Welfare guidance lists up to seven years' imprisonment for unauthorized possession, acquisition, transfer or use, with commercial-purpose offences more severe.
- Smoking in public
- Unauthorized consumption itself is criminal, not merely public smoking. The maximum identified for ordinary unauthorized use is seven years, and no separate cannabis street-smoking fine was verified.
- Medical cannabis
- The reforms permit regulated cannabis-derived medicines in principle but do not create recreational dispensaries or automatic recognition of a foreign cannabis prescription. Availability of a particular cannabis medicine to a visiting patient is unverified — obtain product-specific confirmation from the Narcotics Control Department before travel.
- Home growing
- There is no tourist home-growing allowance. Cultivation requires the appropriate licence, current guidance lists one to ten years for ordinary unauthorized cultivation, and germinable seeds are also regulated.
- Borders
- Ordinary unauthorized cannabis import or export is punishable by one to ten years, with more severe penalties for for-profit offences. Edibles, oils and vapes can qualify, and a foreign prescription alone is not permission. Controlled medicines that are eligible for carriage require advance permission, and some substances cannot be carried even when prescribed abroad.
- CBD
- CBD is not categorically prohibited, but residual delta-9 THC limits are 10 ppm for specified liquid oils and fats and powders, 0.10 ppm for aqueous solutions and 1 ppm for other products; above-limit products are narcotics. CBN products became prohibited designated drugs from 1 June 2026.
Key dates and proposed changes
12 December 2024
First-stage reforms applied narcotics controls and use offences to cannabis and introduced product-specific residual THC limits.
Health, Labour and Welfare — cannabis reforms and THC limits
1 March 2025
Second-stage cultivation licensing and seed-control reforms took effect.
Health, Labour and Welfare — cannabis reforms and THC limits
1 June 2026
The Narcotics Control Department states CBN became a designated drug, prohibiting ordinary manufacture, import, sale, possession and use of CBN products.
Practical questions
Can I buy weed in Japan?
No recreationally. There is no tourist dispensary exception, and unauthorized acquisition or possession can mean up to seven years in prison.
Health, Labour and Welfare drug information network — current penalty table
Can I smoke on the street or privately?
Neither location makes unauthorized cannabis use lawful: use itself is an offence punishable by up to seven years.
Health, Labour and Welfare drug information network — current penalty tableHealth, Labour and Welfare — cannabis reforms and THC limits
Does my foreign medical prescription protect me?
There is no automatic protection. Ask the Narcotics Control Department about the exact formulation and obtain any required advance permission; some prescribed substances remain prohibited.
Narcotics Control Department — traveler application guidance
Can I bring it into Japan or fly home with it?
Do not carry ordinary cannabis in either direction. Unauthorized import or export carries one to ten years, with more severe commercial penalties.
Health, Labour and Welfare drug information network — current penalty tableNarcotics Control Department — traveler application guidance
What about CBD or CBN?
CBD requires compliance with Japan's very low, product-specific THC limits, and CBN became a designated drug in June 2026. Ask about a specific product rather than relying on a foreign 'THC-free' label.
Narcotics Control Department — CBD imports and CBN controlsHealth, Labour and Welfare — cannabis reforms and THC limits
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