Some doctors in Japan are using the banned drug thalidomide to treat cancer and other illnesses, according to a survey conducted by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

The doctors have been importing the drug on a personal basis, with the total amount brought in during the 12 months to last March coming to more than 150,000 tablets in 265 cases, the health ministry said.

Thalidomide is a sedative and a hypnotic drug that was used mainly in sleeping pills and digestive medicine in Japan in the late 1950s. It was found to cause birth defects if mothers took the drug during the early stages of pregnancy. Japan banned its use and sale in 1962.