Japan's electronic prescriptions (電子処方箋) — the Electronic Prescription Management Service began operating on January 26, 2023, allowing prescription and dispensing information from multiple medical institutions and pharmacies to be referenced and checks for duplicate medication and the like
Source material is a Japanese government announcement (in Japanese); this page is a summary.
Japan's Electronic Prescription Management Service began operating on January 26, 2023 (Reiwa 5), and it allows information on medicines recently prescribed and dispensed at multiple medical institutions and pharmacies to be referenced for checks on duplicate medication and the like. To use it, check whether the pharmacy where you will have the prescription filled supports it, then select the electronic prescription on the 顔認証付きカードリーダー (face-recognition card reader) at the medical institution.
Key facts
| Date operation began | The Electronic Prescription Management Service began operating on January 26, 2023 (Reiwa 5 / 令和5年1月26日). The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare document 「電子処方箋の進捗状況について」 (February 9, Reiwa 6 / 令和6年2月9日) records this as 「令和５年１月26日から電子処方箋管理サービスの運用開始」. |
|---|---|
| What it makes possible | It is an arrangement for handling prescriptions electronically, and at the same time it makes it possible to reference information on medicines recently prescribed and dispensed at multiple medical institutions and pharmacies and to use that information for checks on duplicate medication and the like. |
| How to use it | First check whether the pharmacy where you will have your prescription filled supports electronic prescriptions, then select the electronic prescription at the medical institution on the 顔認証付きカードリーダー (face-recognition card reader). At a pharmacy, the form of the prescription cannot be selected on the 顔認証付きカードリーダー. If you use a certificate of eligibility, you can use an electronic prescription by saying at reception that you would like one. |
| Period of validity (general rule and exception) | General rule — within 4 days including the date of issue, the same as a paper prescription. Exception — where there are special circumstances such as a long trip and the doctor or dentist has written a separate period of use on the prescription, it is valid until that date. |
| Medical costs (general rule and exception) | General rule — simply choosing an electronic prescription does not change medical costs. Exception — because it becomes possible to check whether a medicine with the same effect has already been prescribed elsewhere, there are cases where medical costs fall if that check reduces the amount of medicine prescribed. |
| Pharmacy waiting time (general rule and exception) | General rule — it does not automatically become shorter. Since you have to go to the pharmacy and complete the reception procedure, a certain amount of waiting time arises. Because it is not known which pharmacy you will collect your medicine from, a pharmacy cannot receive the electronic prescription or start dispensing before the reception procedure. Exception — there are also pharmacies where dispensing is started in advance and the wait is shorter if you pass on information such as the dispensing code by phone, app or fax before you visit. |
| Why you receive the prescription details 控え (copy) on paper | Which medicines that prescription is for, and the dispensing code needed to collect the medicine at the pharmacy, can also be checked on Mynaportal, but since some people are not yet able to view it, a printed 控え of the prescription details is issued for the time being. It may be discarded after you have collected the medicine, and it cannot be reused once the medicine has been collected. |
Last checked:
In Japan, the Electronic Prescription Management Service (電子処方箋管理サービス) began operating on January 26, 2023 (Reiwa 5). An electronic prescription is the electronic version of the prescription that until then was issued on paper, and it is an arrangement that makes it possible to reference information on medicines recently prescribed and dispensed at multiple medical institutions and pharmacies and to use that information for checks on duplicate medication and the like. To use it, first check whether the pharmacy where you will have your prescription filled supports electronic prescriptions, then select the electronic prescription at the medical institution on the machine used for reception with a My Number Card, the face-recognition card reader (顔認証付きカードリーダー). At a pharmacy, the form of the prescription cannot be selected on this card reader. If you use a certificate of eligibility (資格確認書), you can use an electronic prescription by saying at reception that you would like one. The period of validity is within 4 days including the date of issue, the same as a paper prescription; where there are special circumstances such as a long trip and the doctor or dentist has written a separate period of use on the prescription, it is valid until that date. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's guidance states that simply choosing an electronic prescription does not change medical costs, but that because it becomes possible to check whether a medicine with the same effect has already been prescribed, there are cases where medical costs fall if the amount of medicine prescribed is reduced as a result. Likewise, the waiting time at the pharmacy does not automatically become shorter and you have to go to the pharmacy and complete the reception procedure, but the guidance notes that there are also pharmacies where dispensing is started in advance and the wait is shorter if you pass on information such as the dispensing code (引換番号) by phone, app or fax before you visit. The medicines prescribed and the dispensing code can also be checked on Mynaportal (マイナポータル), but since some people are not yet able to view it, a printed copy of the prescription details (控え) is issued alongside for the time being.
Summaries below are factual notes based on government announcements and primary sources — not evaluations or opinions.
Summaries reflect national-level programs. Municipal (city/ward/town) programs may differ — confirm with the official desk before applying.
FAQ
If I choose an electronic prescription, will my medicine be ready before I get to the pharmacy?
No. The source states that you have to go to the pharmacy and go through reception. Because it is not known which pharmacy the patient will collect the medicine from, the pharmacy cannot receive the electronic prescription before the reception procedure and cannot start dispensing in advance either. It does note, however, that there are pharmacies where dispensing is started in advance and the wait is shorter if, before your visit, you pass on information such as the dispensing code to the pharmacy where you will have the prescription filled by phone, app or fax.
What should I do if I lose the 控え (copy) of the prescription details?
According to the source, where you also go through reception at the pharmacy with a My Number health insurance card, you can have the prescription filled even if you lose the 控え, by selecting at the pharmacy the prescription you want filled. Where you pass on the dispensing code before visiting the pharmacy, or go through reception with a certificate of eligibility, you can have the prescription filled without the 控え by checking the dispensing code with the medical institution that issued the prescription, or by checking it on Mynaportal and passing it on to the pharmacy.