Is Hemp Legal in Japan?
May 29, 2026
Industrial hemp is legal in Japan under Type I licenses (0.3% THC cap) effective March 2025. MHLW oversees cultivation, with finished goods meeting THC residue caps.
Industrial hemp is legal in Japan under Type I licenses (0.3% THC cap) effective March 2025. MHLW oversees cultivation, with finished goods meeting THC residue caps.
Industrial hemp cultivation is legal in Japan under a restructured licensing system that took effect March 1, 2025. The renamed Act on Regulation of Cultivation of Cannabis Plants replaced the old prefectural-only framework with three license categories: Type I for low-THC industrial hemp (cultivars at or below 0.3% THC, issued by prefectural governors), Type II for medicinal cannabis raw material regardless of THC content (issued by the MHLW), and a research license also issued by the MHLW.
Cultivators must maintain a minimum 100 square meter plot to discourage hobbyist growing. Type I sites need general anti-theft measures only; Type II sites face strict security and chain-of-custody requirements equivalent to narcotics handling. Permitted end uses for Type I include fiber, seeds, food, cosmetics, and CBD raw material, provided downstream products meet MHLW THC residue caps. Cultivation of high-THC cultivars outside a Type II or research license remains a serious narcotics offense.
Restricted
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)
0.3% THC cap for Type I industrial hemp cultivars; ingredient-based residue caps apply to finished goods
Act on Regulation of Cultivation of Cannabis Plants (Revised Cannabis Control Act)
Hemp seeds (sterilized), stalks, fiber, and seed-derived foods such as hemp oil and protein are importable without a narcotics permit, but shipments are inspected for THC contamination and viable seed. Live seed for cultivation requires prefectural Type I license documentation. Finished hemp-derived consumer goods must meet the same MHLW THC residue limits as CBD products. Flower and leaf imports are prohibited under all circumstances.
