Smoking in Japan
Smoking is legally allowed in Japan but subject to regulatory controls applied on tobacco. 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 30, 2020 by stripes.com
Japan’s ban on smoking inside restaurants and bars takes effect this week
People will no longer be allowed to smoke in most restaurants and bars in Japan starting Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
The ban, which includes heated tobacco like cigarettes and cigars but not e-cigarettes, protects people “who want to avoid getting exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke,” according to a health ministry document explaining the law.
It’s part of a revised Health Promotion Law passed in 2018. [...]
January 18, 2019 by reuters.com
Japan Tobacco ratchets up smokeless war with new products
Japan Tobacco Inc (2914.T) on Thursday unveiled two “heat-not-burn” products, as it races against market leader Philip Morris International Inc (PM.N) for a larger share of the vaping space with conventional cigarettes steadily falling out of favor. Despite commanding 60 percent of the local cigarette market, Japan Tobacco has been caught on the wrong side of the rising popularity of heat-not-burn (HNB) alternatives and has lagged in the category in its own backyard versus the Marlboro maker.
August 06, 2018 by reuters.com
Japan Tobacco buying Bangladesh Akij's tobacco business for $1.5 billion
Japan Tobacco Inc is buying the tobacco business of Bangladesh’s Akij Group for around $1.5 billion, its second major purchase in five months as the world’s third-biggest cigarette maker seeks new growth markets to offset shrinking sales at home. “With this investment, we continue to accelerate our expansion in emerging markets that matter, a key component of Japan Tobacco Group’s growth strategy,” Japan Tobacco said in a statement on Monday.
July 18, 2018 by forbes.com
Can Philip Morris Provide Some Positive iQOS News In The Second Quarter?
Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) is set to release its second quarter earnings on July 19, wherein revenue and EPS growth of 9.4% and 8.8% are expected, as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Revenue growth is set to be driven by increased sales of its reduced risk products (RRPs), iQOS in particular, as well as price increases, while a reduction in the tax rate is expected to be the primary driver in the earnings improvement.
July 18, 2018 by japantimes.co.jp
Japan’s watered-down smoking ban clears Diet
The Diet on Wednesday passed an amendment that will ban smoking in public facilities for the first time as the nation — long deemed a haven for smokers — scrambles to combat secondhand smoke in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The ban will be implemented in stages, coming into full force by April 2020. The revision to the Health Promotion Law, however, has been significantly watered down from the health ministry’s original proposal, falling short of a comprehensive smoking ban in restaurants and bars.
July 11, 2018 by bloomberg.com
As Juul Flies High With New Funding, Vapes Become a Target
Investors are lining up behind Juul Labs Inc., a startup that makes electronic cigarettes popular with young people. But as vaporizers have taken off, the industry is under pressure from regulators and competitors.
Juul said in a U.S. securities filing posted Tuesday that it raised $650 million out of a funding round expected to reach $1.2 billion. The deal is set to value the business at about $15 billion, Bloomberg reported last month. [...]
June 27, 2018 by japantimes.co.jp
Tokyo lawmakers approve anti-smoking ordinance as capital gears up for 2020 Olympics
The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Wednesday passed an anti-smoking ordinance that is stricter than the national version currently under consideration, in a move intended to rein in secondhand smoke and create a tobacco-free 2020 Olympics.
The capital city’s smoking ban precedes the passage of a similar amendment to the Health Promotion Law that is being deliberated by the national Diet.
June 05, 2018 by japantoday.com
Japan Tobacco cuts heated tobacco prices in battle with Philip Morris
Japan Tobacco Inc on Monday cut prices on its heated tobacco products early next week after a similar move by bigger rival Philip Morris International Inc, signaling increased competition in Japan's nascent market for alternative cigarettes.
Japan, where regular e-cigarettes with nicotine-laced liquid are effectively banned, has become the main market for "heat not burn" (HNB) products which emit less smoke and smell less than conventional cigarettes. [...]
May 21, 2018 by dailycaller.com
ALTERNATIVE SMOKING TECHNOLOGIES ARE DRIVING ‘SUSTAINED DOUBLE-DIGIT’ DECLINES IN CIGARETTE SALES
Alternative tobacco technologies that drastically cut harms from smoking are continuing to fuel a historic decline in cigarette sales in Japan.
A press release Friday from Japan Tobacco (JT) reveals heat-not-burn products such as Philip Morris International’s (PMI) IQOS and British American Tobacco’s (BAT) glo are maintaining their popularity in overseas markets. Domestic cigarette sales for JT dropped by 13.2 percent in April, [...]
January 22, 2018 by dailycaller.com
POPULARITY OF A SMOKING ALTERNATIVE IS CAUSING CIGARETTE SALES TO TANK
An alternative tobacco technology that drastically cuts harms from smoking is causing cigarette sales to plummet at an “astounding” pace in Japan.
A press released [...] shows the record declines the company has experienced in cigarettes sales throughout 2017 accelerated in the final month of the year. Heat-not-burn technologies like the IQOS device by Philip Morris International (PMI) are fueling the tobacco shakeup in Japan. [...]