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.
The types of restriction are:
- No restrictions.
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.
Sources
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.
Visit the Japan page on the Global HIV Criminalisation Database to see more information about known HIV criminalisation laws in this country, an overview of how the laws are used, and any significant advocacy developments.
Share
If you want to refer to this page when travelling and may not have internet access, you can use your browser to Save or Print this page - how you do it will depend on the device and browser you are using.
