Medical Preparation―
Short-Term Programs: Semester/Year Programs
Medical Information Form
All admitted students are required to submit a completed Medical Information Form, which is available on your Online Application Portal account after you are accepted. The information provided will be used exclusively for student health care and for providing necessary information to medical personnel and/or a hospital in the case of an emergency. All information will be kept confidential. Please review your Medical Information Form with your home university coordinator before sending. Your home university should also know about any conditions you have so that we can work together to provide you with support in case of an emergency.
Support on AIU Campus
There is a Health and Medical Care Room and a Counseling Room on campus. For more information about the support and services offered by each, please see the Medical Care & Counseling page. Please note that there is no medical doctor stationed on campus.
Bringing Medications
1) Preparing to Bring Medication to Japan
Students who intend to bring medications or continue using medications in Japan should prepare to bring all required medicines with them upon arrival, as it may be difficult or impossible to acquire the same medicines in Japan.
However, it is illegal to bring some over-the-counter medicines commonly used in other countries to Japan, including some inhalers, allergy, and sinus medications. Similarly, some foreign prescription medications also cannot be imported into Japan, even when accompanied by a customs declaration and a copy of the prescription. To find out which medications are permitted or prohibited, please consult your nearest Embassy or Consulate of Japan or the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare website for details. Any students taking medications are highly encouraged to do so as soon as possible to confirm whether they will be allowed to bring said medications into Japan. Please understand that it is solely your responsibility to make sure that the medication you plan to bring with you is legal and that you follow all proper procedures to bring it.
In the event that your prescription or over-the-counter medication cannot be brought into Japan, you should consult with your physician to switch to a legal alternative and give yourself sufficient time to adjust to your new medication before leaving your home country.
2) Bring enough of your regular and emergency medicine for your entire stay in Japan
Foreign prescriptions and diagnoses are not valid in Japan, and many medicines offered in other countries are not available here. If you run out of medication while in Japan, you will need to be re-diagnosed by a Japanese doctor (in Japanese) before you can get a new prescription. Sometimes, this can take weeks or more. If you are unable to obtain the necessary medicine here in Japan before you run out or if the amount of time it takes to obtain new medicine poses a risk to your health, it may result in you having to return home early.
3) Required Documentation for Bringing Prescription Medication to Japan
If you plan to bring more than 1-month’s supply of any medication, you will need to apply in advance for a “Yunyu Kakunin-sho” (Import Confirmation) issued by a Pharmaceutical Inspector in Japan and have this confirmation with you when entering Japan. The application process generally takes at least two weeks, so please follow the instructions on the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare website to apply in time for your Yunyu Kakunin-sho. The instructions for application procedures and necessary forms can be found in the “Q&A for those who are importing medicines into Japan” document available for download in word or pdf format from the web page linked above. Please be sure to check Section 4 of the website as well, as it contains important information on narcotics and stimulants’ raw materials. In principle, these substances cannot be brought into Japan. Even if they are prescribed for personal use, you must obtain prior permission from the Japanese government before bringing such substances to Japan, and some substances are not allowed under any circumstances.
Should you have any inquiries about the Yunyu Kakunin-sho application, please directly contact the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (contact information is available on this website ).
4) Bringing Your Medications to Japan
Please bring a sufficient supply of all medication you will need in the original containers, clearly labeled. You should also carry a signed, dated letter from your physician describing your medical condition and listing all medications prescribed to you (including generic names) in your carry-on luggage to present to customs inspectors on arrival. If you need to carry syringes or needles, be sure to carry a physician’s letter documenting in detail their medical necessity. Pack all medications in your carry-on luggage and carry an additional supply of prescription medicines in your checked luggage.
Vaccinations
On-campus accommodations share common spaces. As such, the possibility of spreading infectious diseases is high. To prevent the possible risk of infection, we strongly request that students receive the following vaccinations before your arrival at AIU:
- MMR vaccine (measles-mumps-rubella vaccine), two doses
- DPT vaccine (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine)
- Varicella (Chicken pox) vaccine, two doses
Notes:
- Students enrolled at AIU during the Fall semester will be strongly encouraged to receive the influenza vaccine on campus (at their own expense.)
Common Misconceptions
I’ve been getting better lately, and I think I can manage my condition on my own during my study abroad, so I should be fine.
Study Abroad can be more physically and mentally demanding than studying at your home university because the systems and requirements are different. Many students experience additional difficulties while adjusting to culture shock, especially after the “honeymoon period” ends. Although you may have managed on your own in your home country for a long time, Akita is a new and unfamiliar environment.
Off campus, there is little to no support available in English, and trying to get information from the internet has resulted in disaster for more than one student here in the past. In the worst case, you may need to return home early, which could result in the loss of a semester’s worth of academic credit and financial aid.
I can get my prescription refilled in Japan, or get a similar medication.
Absolutely not.
Foreign prescriptions and diagnoses are not valid in Japan, and many medicines are not available here. If you run out of medication in Japan, you would need to be re-diagnosed by a Japanese doctor (in Japanese) before you could get a new prescription. Sometimes, this can take weeks. You must bring enough of your regular and emergency medicine for your entire stay in Japan.
My medicine is controlled and I cannot get a long enough prescription.
There are exceptions to prescription limits for international travelers.
If your primary caregiver is unwilling to help you with this process, contact a doctor who specializes in travel medicine. If your medication is illegal in Japan, then you will need to change to a legal medication under your current doctor’s care immediately.
If I run out of medicine, I can have my parents mail it to me.
Many medications cannot be sent through the mail.
They can only be brought by the patient with a prescription and a Yunyu Kakunin-sho (Import Confirmation).
If I get sick and miss a few classes, it’s no big deal.
At AIU, you are expected to attend every class and attendance/participation are included in grades. Missing classes can result in an automatic failing grade. As an international student, attendance is also mandatory to maintain your student visa status required for all exchange students in the regular semesters and some short-stay visa holders in the special programs such as the Summer Program and J-CIP:A Program.
Inbound Students (Students coming to AIU)：[mail international]
Outbound Students (AIU Students going overseas)：[mail studyabroad]
Office Hours (Mon – Fri) 9:00 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 17:00