Significant changes in Japanese pharmaceutical regulations and procedures are impacting the development of new drugs in Japan as well as global development programs. This short course will describe the major drivers of the regulatory system, including the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), regulatory procedures during drug development (consultations with PMDA and clinical trial notifications), the integration of Japanese drug development with East Asian and global drug development, orphan drug regulation and J-NDA preparation and review. Several development strategies available to address Japanese requirements for new drug approval, as well as selected post-approval requirements, will be discussed.