Article 58 of the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law states that medical doctors must promptly report the private information of patients to the prefectural government when they are diagnosed as a narcotics addict.
 In this paper, the author outlined the history and details of the narcotics addict reporting system, and further examined its roles and problems. In this examination, the author found that this system may limit the patient's access to medical treatment and abuse their human rights. However, it enables effective intervention in areas where conventional mental health systems cannot reach such as "environmental clean-up".
 Based on the above problems, the author recommends that medical doctors carefully diagnose narcotics addicts. Additionally, the author recommends that this system be revised to a new system consistent with the principles of psychiatric care and community mental health welfare in Japan.
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