Japan

Regulations on entry, stay, residence, and treatment access for people living with HIV

The categories of restriction are:

  • No restrictions on entry or staying.

Restrictions on entry to Japan

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Japan based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Japan does not have any HIV-related restrictions on entry.

The website of the Japan Consulate in London has a list of supporting documents that should be included with a visa application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant.

Restrictions on short-term stay in Japan

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Japan based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Japan does not have any HIV-related restrictions on short-term stay.

The website of the Japan Consulate in London has a list of supporting documents that should be included with a work visa application and none of those documents makes reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant.

Restrictions on long-term stay in Japan

We found no evidence of restrictions on long-term stay.

Treatment access in Japan

Antiretroviral medication can be carried for personal use. A ‘Yakkan Certificate’ is required, especially for quantities beyond a two month supply. Additional information (in Japanese only) is available here.

CHARM (Center for Health and Rights of Migrants), a citizen’s group that supports HIV-positive people and non-Japanese speakers, provides a very in-depth page on treatment access for foreigners in Japan, available here.

The HIV Justice Network's Global HIV Criminalisation Database

There is no known HIV criminalisation in Japan. We are not aware of any HIV-specific criminal laws in force, and there have been no reported prosecutions for alleged HIV ‘exposure’, non-disclosure, and/or transmission under general criminal laws.

UNAIDS Global AIDS monitoring data

This information about access to HIV services comes from UNAIDS https://lawsandpolicies.unaids.org/, a platform to view data on HIV-related laws and policies. This is information provided by national authorities and civil society and may contradict other sources.

Migrant populations

Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens N/A
Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A
Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens N/A
Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A
Migrants are able to access HIV services N/A

Refugees and asylum seekers

Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens N/A
Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A
Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens N/A
Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) N/A

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This site focuses on information about HIV travel. Please also consult your own Foreign Office/Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, or the local consulate of the country you are visiting, to see what restrictions there are specifically for you as a citizen of your country, regardless of your HIV status.