"Ground breaking smoking ban for Japan"
Anna Kitanaka
British Born Japanese Journalist
Kanagawa prefecture have announced plans for a ‘Public Facilities No Smoking Regulation’. This regulation is already active in hospitals and schools but now there are plans to expand its reach to Pachinko parlors and Izakayas.
If this rule comes into force, it will be Japan’s first groundbreaking anti-smoking legislation.
Restaurants and shops serving food and drink are voicing concerns that this will negatively affect their sales. The medical establishment, who are a driving force behind anti-smoking measures, are giving their approval to this new regulation. In Kanagawa, this issue is already causing friction.
The Mainichi Shimbun reports some differing local opinions.
Against:
1. Ryoji Shiraishi, the owner of four pachinko parlors in Yokohama and is against the regulations due to concerns about sales says: “Over 70% of my customers smoke.”
2. Noriko Ebina, the Head of the Secretariat for Yokohama’s ‘Food and Drink Business Livelihood Health and Hygiene Trade Association’ (literal translation) says: “I feel we are being bullied. We have already been affected by the tightening of the Drink Driving Road Traffic Act…”
3. The public relations department for JT tobacco says, “Coffee shops, pachinko parlors and hotels have a different clientele so we are against a broad ban. It should be left up to each business owner to decide for themselves.”
For:
1. Yoshihito Fujiwara, the Director for Yokohama’s pediatricians’ ‘Anti-smoking Kanagawa Assembly for the Propulsion of Separate Smoking Areas’ says “these penal regulations are natural. Passive smoking has gone beyond being just annoying, it is a health affecting assault. There are limits to just suing people for breaching manners.”
2. Manabu Sakuda, the Board Chairman for the ‘Anti-smoking Scientific Society of Japan’ says “these rules that are thought of as groundbreaking in Japan yet are normal in other countries abroad.”
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that in 2005 Japan had roughly 30.2 million smokers—around 25% of the population (see JIN: http://www.japaninc.com/jin422.
With countries such as the UK and Australia already imposing anti-smoking measures in public places and places serving food and drink, it seems only natural that Japan would be next in following in the footsteps of a global ban on smoking. However, as mentioned in JIN 422 (Smoke on the horizon: http://www.japaninc.com/jin422), the perception of smoking may be quite different from those in other countries. Although underage smoking is harshly frowned upon (and made harder recently with the new age identification measure for cigarette vending machines), and smoking whilst walking for a lady is thought of as very taboo, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that in 2005 Japan had roughly 30.2 million smokers—that’s around 25%of the population who still smoke.
However, with smoking banned on many streets throughout the country, new smoking bans in taxis and regulation tightening for under-age smoking , it seems only natural that the next step for Japan would be to start banning it in public places…
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Oh, no -- please do not ban
Oh, no -- please do not ban smoking in pachiko parlors and izakaya! The smoking is precisely what discourages good people from venturing into those establishments! If pachinko parlors and izakaya become zones of healthful fun, where will the sorry low self-esteem types go to hang out? ;-)
Very sad that Japan with all
Very sad that Japan with all its "greatness" is so stupid not to understand or realize the damage smokers are doing to themselves and to non-smokers.
Very selfish. Second hand smoke is dreadful.
Wake up Japan and think of others' health as well as your own.
BAN smoking in all public restaurants, bars and indoor places like civilized countries do and let the smokers puff outdoors!
This is.. not right.
Yes, smoking is damaging to others but if others don't want to be around it, they dont have to go there. If they don't want to be around people smoking, they can simply go somewhere in which there is no smoking. It really is not brain surgery. I do not smoke, nor will I ever, as it is a nasty habit in my opinion.
The owner of the business should have the right to decide for themselves whether or not smoking should be aloud in their business. Governments are authoritarian enough as it is. It would be violating the rights of the business owner by doing this. Many businesses find good business in smoking sections as it has been mentioned. Governments should only be able to ban smoking in government owned facilities, otherwise its simply impeding the rights of the business owner. I actually applaud Japan for being one of the few countries left to not have government regulated smoking bans.
I have seen many japanese
I have seen many japanese parents smoke when small kids are around. I have even seen people smoke in cars with all windows closed and with children sitting inside. In Japan, people are not aware of ill effects of even passive smoking....it should be taught in the school level.
The risks of passive smoking are exaggerated
I love holidaying in Japan, and one of the things I love about Japan is that they haven't bought into the passive smoking propoganda. Read the studies pasive smoking is based on and you will see that the dangers are over exaggerated.
It would be sad if business owners in this great country lose their freedom of choice and Japan becomes a nanny state like Australia has become.
There are plenty of people
There are plenty of people that play pachinko and are still good people.
smoking ban is a good idea
The government banned smoking in public places because it stops people smoking, will make people healthier, live longer and stop many diseases.
The dangers of smoking are causes different kind of cancers such as mouth cancer, throat, tongue and lung cancer. It also causes heart disease, halitosis, yellow teeth, gum disease, smells of cigarettes. It also causes bronchitis and passive smoking.
Passive smoking is second hand smoke; it’s when you breathe in when people are smoking and you suffer from it as it can give you cancer and other diseases. Most people want to ban smoking because of passive smoking, it is dangerous because it causes a lot of deaths, as it is second hand smoking innocent people die and they don’t even smoke. Also many people believe this will make smokers quit smoking as the ban will encourage more smokers to quit because they can’t get cigarettes as much as they used to and people have a right to protect themselves from smoke inhalation. Smoking also damages the environment and causes different types of cancers and diseases.
Smoking ban is a serious issue as it causes lots deaths; I believe that the public should be discussing this matter.
The current pack of 20 cigarettes is for £5.66 and 77% of the money goes to tax which is £4.33 goes to the government because that is currently the tax the government charges for cigarettes, this is why maybe the government only introduced a smoking ban in public places, e.g. pubs. The government benefits from the cigarettes sold in the UK so that is why they have not introduced a full smoking ban in the UK. u get ripped of for a packed of ciggarite and also y do innocent people have to die coz of smokers.it costs all lot of monet to do opration, if they ban smoking they will save money on these kind of things
The usual passive smoking lies
Passive smoking is a made up disease. I have never met any anti-smoker who actually knows anybody who has died from passive smoking. If it was so widespread and dangerous you would think somebody knows someone who has died from it. I know people who have died from road accidents but passive smoking...impossible to find.
All the anti-smokers keep talking about the the thousands that die from passive smoking, but they never know anyone who has. Meanwhile these anti-smokers pump vast amounts of cancerous pollutants from their motor vehicles into the air, killing their children and giving them asthma.
If all smokers stopped smoking tomorrow, governments would be bankrupt within 20 years. Smoke or not smoke, you still need medical attention. If you live longer you need lots of medical attention in your old age and vast amounts of social housing and care. The costs of these will break the tax payer.
Signed by Dr Marlboro
I assume above comment was submitted by Dr Marlboro disguised as Stevo.
It's an extremely important
It's an extremely important decision especially for the passive smokers, inhale the smoke of the cigarette without any cause. It is a first major step towards the saving of the live of the numerous people, who come under this devilish smoke. It should be ban in the films as well. In cinems, action movies,Poker Movies, having casino scenes, promote smoking majorly. People idolize the characters and try to smoke like them.
It leaves an adverse effect on the society.
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