June 1, 2022
Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., a Tokyo based pharmaceutical company, has installed a vending machine to offer nonprescription drugs on a test basis through the end of August, according to a report in The Japan Times.
The first machine, inside Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, offers 30 medicines, and will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the time being.
Drugs can be only sold at stores with registered sellers or pharmacists in Japan, but the company was able to meet the regulation by placing the machine near a drugstore.