Smoking in Japan
Smoking is allowed in Japan but subject to regulatory controls. Under these regulatory framework, cigarettes are regulated as tobacco products which allows them to be sold through retail outlets, online platforms, and vending machines. Importation of cigarettes for trade is allowed with a license. However, health warnings on packaging are required, the minimum legal age for purchase is 20 years, and there are legal restrictions on smoking in public places. Not all forms of tobacco advertising are banned which indicates a partial advertising control framework. Cigarettes in Japan are taxed at a total rate of 59.90%, including an excise tax rate of 50.81%. Smoking is a public health concern in Japan. In 2024, there were approximately 16.9 million current smokers in the country, corresponding to an adult smoking prevalence of 15.4%. In the same year, smoking prevalence was notably higher among males (24.2%) than among females (7.1%). Smoking current prevalence was reported to be 16.8% in 2022. In 2021, smoking contributed to 142,775 deaths in Japan, including 119,843 deaths among males and 22,932 among females. This indicates that overall, tobacco smoking accounted for 9.93% of all deaths in the country in 2021, representing 16.21% of all male deaths and 3.28% of all female deaths. These figures underscore the ongoing health burden associated with smoking in Japan.
Read articles from Japan
March 27, 2026 by tobaccoreporter.com
Japanese Consumers Facing Double Hit
Japan will implement the first phase of tax hikes on tobacco and corporate income from April 1 to raise funds for defense spending. The tax increases will continue in October and January 2027, aiming to generate ¥1.3 trillion ($8.2 billion) by that year. Philip Morris Japan and Japan Tobacco plan to raise prices on tobacco products. The government anticipates tobacco tax revenue to rise annually, reaching ¥212 billion ($1.3 billion) as further levies are enforced. This initiative supports Japan's defense budget, exceeding the 2% GDP target with over ¥9 trillion ($56.7 billion) allocated for fiscal 2026.
January 30, 2026 by freemalaysiatoday.com
Follow Japan’s strategy to reduce harm on smokers, govt urged
The managing director of a tobacco company in Malaysia has urged the government to follow Japan’s example by reducing the harmful effects of smoking instead of banning e-cigarettes and vapes outright. Naeem Shahab Khan of Philip Morris Malaysia and Singapore noted that Japan legally ensures access to heated tobacco products and other alternatives for smokers. He called this a “pragmatic harm-reduction approach.” In Malaysia, e-cigarettes and vapes will be banned by the end of this year, starting with pod system vapes. Khan also highlighted that Japan uses a separate tax structure for heated tobacco products.
August 05, 2025 by 24shareupdates.com
Japan’s Sharp Smoking Decline Tied to Rise in Heated Tobacco Use
According to a study published in October 2024 in the international peer-reviewed journal Tobacco Control, “Transformation of the Tobacco Product Market in Japan, 2011–2023,” per capita and total cigarette sales in Japan decreased by more than 50 percent between 2011 and 2023. This trend remained relatively flat until 2015, when HTPs were introduced to the Japanese market, after which the rate of decline accelerated markedly.
November 14, 2024 by 24shareupdates.com
Millions of Japanese Lives Could Be Saved
Leading public health experts said Japan could save millions of lives if it embraces innovative and proven tobacco harm reduction measures. In Tokyo, the event featured a series of discussions with harm reduction and public health experts, including Dr. Fredrik Nystrom, Professor Marewa Glover, Professor David Sweanor, Professor Kazumasa Oguro, Dr. Kenji Shibuya and Dr. Hiroya Kumamaru.
May 29, 2024 by filtermag.org
Japan’s Leading Position in the Tobacco Harm Reduction World
Japan has achieved a 52% decrease in cigarette sales, largely due to the popularity of heated tobacco products (HTP). The success story is outlined in a Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) briefing. Factors contributing to this decline, including regulatory measures and health concerns, are discussed. Despite initial dual use, many are transitioning to HTP for reduced harm. The unique Japanese trend emphasizes switching from cigarettes to safer alternatives. Notable growth in HTP sales has outpaced cigarettes, supported by a welcoming retail environment and minimal government intervention. Japan's success highlights consumer-driven public health improvements and the cultural acceptance of harm reduction methods.
May 12, 2021 by moneycontrol.com
Philip Morris to phase out cigarettes in Japan within decade
The head of tobacco giant Philip Morris said the company will phase out conventional cigarettes in Japan within 10 years, in an interview with the Nikkei business daily published Friday.
The Marlboro maker announced in 2016 a long-term goal to stop selling cigarettes and replace them with alternatives that it says are less harmful -- but this is the first time it has given a clear deadline.
"We want Japan to be the first market" for the phase-out, newly appointed CEO Jacek Olczak told the Nikkei in an interview published in Japanese.
April 09, 2021 by manilatimes.net
Japan model in smoking rate reduction – expert
The introduction of noncombustible alternatives in Japan in 2014 helped reduce smoking rate in the world’s largest market of heated tobacco products (HTPs) by nearly a third in a span of three to four years, according to a public health expert.
Kumamaru Hiroya, vice director of the AOI Universal Hospital in Kawasaki, said nicotine replacement therapy (NTP), such as nicotine patches, has proved ineffective in reducing the smoking rate in Japan.
January 19, 2021 by japantimes.co.jp
Seizures of liquid marijuana surging in Japan
The amount of liquid marijuana seized in Japan has been surging, putting police and customs authorities on high alert.
The estimated amount of marijuana in liquid form confiscated by Tokyo Customs in 2020 jumped nearly 70 times from the previous year’s level. A customs official described the situation as “an explosive increase.”
The liquid extracted from marijuana plants has a higher content of hallucinogenic tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, than dried cannabis and can be used in a similar way to electronic cigarettes.
December 03, 2020 by prnewswire.com
Sales of Conventional Cigarettes in Japan Reduce by 34% Since Launch of Heated Tobacco Products
Frost & Sullivan's latest thought leadership white paper, Tobacco Harm Reduction and Novel Nicotine and Tobacco Products: Evidence from the Japanese Market, written in collaboration with Philip Morris International, covers the impact of the commercial launch of NNTPs on tobacco use in Japan and discusses the regulatory approach that the Japanese government is taking with regard to these products. It focuses on the Japanese market because HTPs have been commercially available in the country since 2013, and Japan is the largest market for HTPs, despite the absence of a formal THR policy to encourage this.
August 10, 2020 by japantimes.co.jp
Japan's male smoking rate drops below 30% for first time
Japan’s male smoking rate fell below 30 percent for the first time last year, slipping to 28.8 percent, down 2.3 points from the previous study in 2016, a health ministry survey found.
The national livelihood survey, conducted every three years by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, also found that the female smoking rate fell 0.7 point to 8.8 percent.
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