With removing restrictions on Internet sales of nonprescription drugs a centerpiece of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's deregulation drive, officials are now working on the final details in a bill to revise the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is opposed to permitting online sales of drugs that have yet to complete their safety assessment periods after becoming available on the market. Businesses, however, are pushing for full deregulation and apparently seek to include even prescription drugs.
"We request that you nip any regulation in the bud at an early stage," said Hiroshi Mikitani, president of online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc., in a petition for deregulation presented on Oct. 24 to Abe and relevant ministries.