Japan: Ban on smoking at work

Proposed moves will be in line with much of developed world

A panel in Japan’s Health Ministry is likely to finalise in April a recommendation that smoking be completely banned in factories and office (or at least confined to separate rooms). Such a report would be likely to lead the way for the Ministry to submit a bill to parliament, possibly next year. This is a big step forward for the world’s fourth-largest cigarette market. Smoking levels have fallen (from 82% of men in 1965 to around 25% of adults today – although among men in their 30s, about 47% said they smoke).

In Japan, cigarettes are relatively cheap, at 300 yen for a pack of 20 (US$3.23) and are widely available in vending machines. However, the government (which owns 50.01% of Japan Tobacco), will introduce a tax increase of 3.5 yen per cigarette from October, which will raise the cost of a pack to about 400 yen.

Japan has lagged behind much of the developed world in banning smoking in workplaces. Professor Manabu Sakuta, of the Japan Society for Tobacco Control, commented that ‘It’s late coming and could take up to four years to go through, but legislation would signal a big change of course in the political landscape,’, partly because there has ‘traditionally been a cosy connection between the Liberal Democratic Party [removed from power in September after more than half a century], tobacco growers and cigarette sellers’.

Source: The Age, 27 February 2010

-