[Psychotropic Medication and Operating Automobiles and Machinery]

Beginning in March 2013 and following again in May of the same year, warnings on the potential for medication-related impairment during the operation of motor vehicles were issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication as well as the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. These notices have proven to be confusing for staff at psychiatric departments and pharmacies alike, as many widely prescribed psychotropic medications were included on the list. In response.to this issue, here I reviewed the aforementioned proscriptions as well as equivalent pronouncements from other countries and provided a brief overview on the subject from the point of view of pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies. The results showed that drug safety regulations in Japan were significantly more restrictive than the other countries surveyed for driving automobiles and operating machinery, and that the tone of the language used differed greatly from country to country. Additionally, observation of the current situation in the EU specifically reveals that, compared to Japan, the issue is being confronted much more proactively. Moving forward, it is recommended that Japan also, through the combined effort of regulatory agencies, academia, medical facilities, pharmaceutical companies and patients and their families, make greater efforts to adopt standards that assure traffic safety for the general public at large while concurrently respecting patients' right to freedom of movement and autonomy, even when receiving medical treatment.