Baby vaccinations in Japan - Tokyo Urban Baby

Japan has a different schedule to western countries for baby immunisations, and for a new mum it can all be a bit confusing at first! Here is some information that I received from my ward office in Meguro (click on the photos below to see high-resolution so you can read the contents).

Note – this information is only for the Japanese system of child immunizations. If you are following the immunization schedule of your home country, you will need to obtain this information from your doctor (there is also information available on the internet).

There are recommended age ranges for each vaccination (explained on the documents below). This gives a bit of flexibility which is important, as if for example your baby has a high temperature from a cold or flu, you may need to postpone the vaccination until your baby has recovered. Also, if you are planning to go back to your home country to visit family and friends, you can plan to have the immunizations before you go or after you come back to Japan.

Vaccinations
(these are free – vouchers will arrive in the mail from your city office)

DPT – diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), & tetanus (4 doses)

DT – diphtheria & tetanus

BCG – tuberculosis (1 dose)

MR – measles and rubella (4 doses)

Polio – oral vaccine (2 doses)

Other vaccinations available

(Some are partly subsidised by the government. The costs below are for Meguro ward as of Jan 2012 – costs vary depending on the ward, so important to check with your doctor or your ward office)

Influenza

Mumps

Chickenpox (6300yen per dose)

Hepatitis B – 3 doses (6300yen per dose)

Hib – Haemophilus influenzae type B – 4 doses (4000yen per dose)

7vPCV – Pneumococcal conjugate – 4 doses (5800yen per dose)

HPV- human papilloma virus

Rotavirus – 2 doses between 6-24 wks age (16,000yen per dose). NOTE: Rotavirus vaccine in Japan is a live vaccine.

The important thing to remember is that there is no ‘set’ vaccination schedule. This is because there are so many factors that will affect the timing of vaccinations, including when you start the vaccinations (at 2 mths or 3 mths age for example), which vaccinations you want your baby to have, and whether you will be going overseas during the vaccination period. This is why it is so important to consult with your family doctor and plan a schedule that best suits you and your baby.

Below is just one example of a baby immunization schedule in Japan.

Schedule example (including both standard and optional vaccinations):

3 mths
- DPT – 1st dose
- PCV – 1st dose
- Hib – 1st dose
- HepB – 1st dose
  - Note – I separated these vaccinations so my baby wouldn’t be given 4 needles on the same day! My baby had DPT and HepB one week, and then Hib and PCV the following week.
4 mths
- BCG at the 4 mth health checkup
5 mths
- DPT – 2nd dose
- PCV – 2nd dose
- Hib – 2nd dose
- HepB – 2nd dose
6 mths
- DPT – 3rd dose
- PCV – 3rd dose
- Hib – 3rd dose
- HepB – 3rd dose
7 mths
- Polio – 1st dose
1 year
- MR
- Chickenpox
- PCV – 4th dose
- Hib – 4th dose
1 year 2 mths
- Polio – 2nd dose
1year 6 mths
- DPT – 4th dose
3 years
- Japanese encephalitis – 1st & 2nd dose (at interval of 1-4 wks)
4 years
- Japanese encephalitis – 3rd dose
5-6 years (year before starting primary school)
- MR
9 years
- Japanese encephalitis – 4th dose
11 years
- DT – 5th dose
1st year junior high school
- MR
- HPV
3rd year of high school
- MR

Below are photos of the information I received from Meguro City Hall. There is a lot of important information on these documents! Just click on the photos to make them bigger so you can read the information clearly.

I received the above DPT yellow vouchers and information in the mail when my baby turned 3 mths old. There are 4 tickets (forms) – fill out one of these forms for each DPT vaccination.

Notification of 4 month old health checkup – Page 1

Notification of 4 month old health checkup – Page 2

List of vaccinations & health checkups – Page 1

List of vaccinations & health checkups – Page 2

Questionnaire for Mothers – Page 1

Questionnaire for Mothers – Page 2

Note for Mothers – you can have a free chest X-ray at your baby’s 4mth health checkup

Information about DPT vaccinations – Page 1

Information about DPT vaccinations – Page 2

Information about BCG vaccination – Page 1

Information about BCG vaccination – Page 2

BCG vaccination record and medical history questionnaire – Page 1

BCG vaccination record and medical history questionnaire – Page 2

Vaccine screening questionnaire (translation of the questionnaire on the DPT yellow tickets)

Questionnaire about your baby – Page 1

Questionnaire about your baby – Page 2

BCG (Tuberculosis) voucher and information that arrived in the mail when my baby was 3mths old.

Note: You can delay the BCG vaccination until a later date if necessary (up until 6 mths age is free).

Note:

Tokyo Urban Baby endeavours to ensure that information appearing in this site is correct at the time of collation, but accepts no responsibility for any mistakes or inaccuracies. Prior to booking your vaccinations for your baby in Japan, you should consult with your family doctor and obtain the most up to date information from your city hall regarding the vaccination schedule, availability and costs.