Japan approves its first over-the-counter 'morning-after' pill

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Japan has given regulatory approval for an over-the-counter contraceptive pill, its manufacturer said on Monday, the first time the socially conservative country has greenlighted so-called "morning-after" medication without a prescription.

Rights groups have long criticised the fact that women in Japan can only access emergency medication to prevent pregnancy with a doctor's prescription and a trip to a clinic or pharmacy.

That puts many women off, particularly rape victims and teenage girls, according to campaigners.

Drugmaker ASKA Pharmaceutical said in a press release on Monday that it had "obtained manufacturing and marketing approval" for its over-the-counter contraceptive, Norlevo.

There will be no age restrictions on buyers and no requirement for parental consent, the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported.

However, the pill will be labelled as "medicine requiring guidance", meaning women will have to take it in the presence of a pharmacist.

The emergency contraceptive pill can prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of sex but becomes less effective over time.

Discussions on making it available without a prescription in Japan began at a health ministry panel in 2017.

The approval follows a small-scale pilot project launched two years ago at just 145 of the country's pharmacies, or less than 0.2 percent of the total.

The price was set between 7,000 and 9,000 yen ($47 and $60) during the trial, which took place in 2023.

The morning-after pill is already available without a prescription in more than 90 other countries.

The World Health Organization says on its website that emergency contraception "should be routinely included within all national family planning programmes".