The health ministry filed a criminal complaint Monday against a Tokyo importer for selling a drug that has similar effects to illegal ones, ministry officials said.
The complaint was filed with police against the firm Rittsu in Shinjuku Ward for selling the drug called Rush, or "popper" isobutyl nitrite, the officials said.
Tokyo police raided the importer's office after the complaint was filed.
It is the first time the ministry has filed a criminal complaint against a company dealing in a law-evading drug.
Rush, which is widely used by Japanese youth, has fallen into a category of drugs collectively called "dappo" (law evading), partly because they include pharmaceutical ingredients and are not designated as narcotics.
The ministry has been trying to regulate the manufacture and sale of such gray-zone drugs by monitoring such circumstances as how and where the drugs are sold, to decide whether they can be regarded as violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.
The complaint was filed because the importer has failed to follow the ministry's instruction since September not to sell the drug.
The drug, a liquid mainly sold in a 12-ml bottle, has vasodilating effects and can be life-threatening. It is said to create a euphoric feeling and also enhance sexual pleasure.
The importer has been importing Rush from the U.S. for nearly 20 years in batches of 10,000 bottles, the ministry officials said.
