ABSTRACT
Separation of the professions of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy in Japan was a real problem. The pharmacy schools were inspected and classified, and a four-year course in pharmacy was established as a requisite for eligibility to take the licensing examination. A mission from the American Pharmaceutical Association visited Japan at our invitation in July 1949. The mission included representatives of various areas of professional concern: education in pharmacy; the manufacture, control, and distribution of pharmaceuticals; and the practice of pharmacy in general. On 24 June 1951, the Diet passed the law amending the Medical Practitioners Law, the Dental Practitioners Law, and the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. The Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, which is similar to the Food and Drug Law of the United States but far more rigid and comprehensive, established a legal basis for quality standards for all pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
