OTC Drugs to Be Available at Convenience Stores in Japan

   Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's parliament on Wednesday enacted a bill that will allow people to pick up over-the-counter drugs at convenience stores and other outlets without pharmacists.
   The bill to revise the pharmaceuticals and medical devices law was approved at a plenary meeting of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, following its passage through the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last month.
   The revised law will require consumers to listen to explanations from pharmacists online before purchases. It will take effect by around spring 2027. The government expects the new system to be used also in areas with few pharmacies, such as remote islands and mountainous areas.
   The current law does not allow stores without pharmacists to sell OTC drugs. As of February 2023, the proportion of convenience stores that can sell such drugs stood at only 0.7 pct of some 57,000 convenience stores across the country, according to an industry group.
   Under the revised law, people will be able to listen to explanations on cautionary notes about drugs from pharmacists online and receive a certificate via email. They will then be able to get OTC drugs by showing such a certificate at convenience stores. Picking up the drugs from vending machines is planned to be possible.

(2025/05/14-19:51)

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