Within the first few hours of our arrival in Japan, I started noticing cigarette butts everywhere. For a country that is otherwise spotless, this was a jarring observation. We then started seeing people smoke everywhere: inside restaurants, bars, hotels, on the sidewalks. I can’t remember the last time I checked into a hotel and the hotel offered smoking vs. non-smoking room option.
Recent statistics cite 20% of the population (40% of men!) smoke. No wonder since cigarettes are dirt cheap – about US$4-5/pack. I know this because there are vending machines all over the country that sell cigarettes on the sidewalk. Yes, similar vending machines that dispense bottled soda and canned soft drinks (read: what minimum age?)
There’s been rising international pressures to curb smoking ahead of the 2020 Olympic (mostly in Tokyo), but there are lots of push back from the restaurant industry, who thinks they’ll lose sales if customers can’t smoke inside, and the tobacco industry – both of whom have significant lobbying power in the congress.
Some lawmakers are also comfortable making public statements like, “there’s insufficient evidence that shows secondhand smoke leads to lung cancer.” Holy mackerel! Granted that current research shows the effect of secondhand smoke on lung cancer is significantly lower vs. smoking (I mean, DUH!) it is not nothing. Besides, lung cancer is not the only health consequence of secondhand smoke. What about asthma and respiratory infections? Or what about people who just want to enjoy their meal / drink in peace sans cigarette smoke?
And final piece of information that simply blows my mind: the Japanese government (via Ministry of Finance) is required, by law, to maintain one-third ownership of Japan Tobacco – the largest tobacco manufacturer in the country (who controls two-thirds of the cigarette market in Japan).
Is smoking somehow not a real public health concern in Japan?