Japan allows over-the-counter emergency contraception pills

Japan has for the first time approved the over-the-counter sale of an emergency contraceptive pill, the manufacturer said, allowing women in the country to take the drug without a prescription.

ASKA Pharmaceutical said wider access to the pill would “empower Japanese women in reproductive health”. No release date has been announced yet.

The pill will be labeled as a “prescription medicine”, meaning women must take it in the presence of a pharmacist.

The morning after pill is now available over the counter in more than 90 countries. Japan’s conservative views on abortion are rooted in patriarchy and deeply traditional views of the role of women.

ASKA Pharmaceutical said in a statement on Monday that it “has received marketing authorization as a switch to OTC (non-prescription) use of the emergency contraceptive pills commercialized under the brand name Norlevo.”

There will be no age restrictions for buyers and no parental consent requiredthe Saichi Shimbun newspaper reported.

The company said it filed for regulatory approval in 2024 after trial sales of the pill over the counter the previous year.

During the process, Norlevo is available in 145 pharmacies in Japan. Until then, the pill was delivered to clinics or pharmacies only after a doctor’s examination and a prescription.

At the time, human rights groups criticized the trial, saying it was too short, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. Activists have long argued that the prescription requirement deters younger women and rape victims from accessing emergency contraception.

The sale of the drug without a prescription was first discussed by a group of the Ministry of Health in 2017 – the public consultation found huge support across the country.

But officials didn’t give it the go-ahead at the time, saying that making it more readily available would encourage irresponsible use of the “morning-after” pill.

Norlevo – and the generic version of levonorgestrel – work best within 72 hours of unprotected sex and have an 80% effectiveness rate.