まゆの部屋

Is total ban on smoking in works? / Ministry soon to urge local govts to bar tobacco use in public facilities
Katsuki Honda and Takashi Nakamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

Could a total smoking ban in all public facilities, such as schools, hospitals, restaurants and hotels, which is set to be urged for all local governments by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, spread across the country and help prevent health hazards caused by secondhand smoke?

Though such a notification would be nonbinding, the ministry shifted from an initial policy of recommending the separation of smoking areas to one to urging a total smoking ban.

It is inevitable that the restaurant industry will oppose the measure because of its likely negative impact on customer numbers. But observers wonder whether the ministry's action will lead to progress in Japan's battle against secondhand smoke, which notably lags behind Western countries.

Regarding the purpose of the instruction, which was authored by the director general of its Health Service Bureau, a senior ministry official said, "We expect efforts as well as debates on stopping smoking will deepen."

It is scientific fact that secondhand smoking, the inhaling of tobacco smoke from others, is harmful to health.

The Health Promotion Law, which was enacted in 2003, set a goal of preventing secondhand smoking. But out of consideration for businesses that would be affected by such efforts, the ministry allowed the inclusion of measures to separate smoking areas, despite also stating that a total smoking ban would be desirable.

However, global antismoking trends have progressed further than Japan's effort. The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control went into effect in 2005. The convention's guideline, adopted in 2007, said all measures other than a total smoking ban were imperfect.

Many European countries have accelerated measures to ban smoking in public places, saying that separation measures cannot completely prevent health damage from secondhand smoke.

Given this trend, the ministry set up a panel to discuss the issue in 2008, and the panel compiled a report in March last year saying smoking should face a total ban in principle in public places.

Since last year, the ministry has considered whether a revision of the Industrial Safety and Health Act would be able to compel employers to take measures to prevent secondhand smoke from the perspective of protecting workers.

Since the enactment of the Health Promotion Law, measures to ban smoking or to separate areas for smokers and nonsmokers in public places and public transportation have progressed.

But since the percentage of male smokers remains high--36.8 percent in 2008--it is not easy to impose such measures on izakaya pubs and hotels.

The latest planned ministry instruction allows the separation measures to be instituted on a temporary basis, if a total smoking ban is predicted to seriously hurt such businesses. But the instruction also demands that these businesses ultimately implement a total smoking ban in the future.

In 2005, major izakaya pub chain Watami opened four no-smoking restaurants in the Tokyo metropolitan area and elsewhere. Despite their good reputation mainly among female clientele, Watami closed the nonsmoking locations after about a year, because of a drop in group reservations and the fact that most late-night customers are smokers who shunned the restaurants.

There are many hotels and department stores that clearly separate where people can and cannot smoke. However, the upcoming ministry notice essentially requests a total smoking ban in such facilities.

"Many smokers use hotels. Considering customers' needs, I don't think the total smoking ban is necessary," said an employee of a major hotel chain. A staffer at a major department store also said both smokers and nonsmokers are good customers and the store simply cannot clear out smoking customers.

At the same time, some taxi companies are welcoming the developments. A spokesman of the taxi association in Osaka Prefecture, where there are fewer nonsmoking taxis than other areas, said about 70 percent of its drivers support a total smoking ban in taxis if all taxis forbid smoking, despite some concern about losing passengers. "If the [ministry] notice accelerates the [nonsmoking] movement, it would be easier for us to implement [a total ban]," the spokesman added.

According to the Japan Federation of Hire-Taxi Associations, taxis in Tokyo and 36 prefectures began asking passengers not to smoke in their vehicles as of November. A federation spokesman said the group feels the idea of a total smoking ban is gradually being accepted by customers, although initially providers were concerned about a decrease in revenue.

Many European countries and the United States clearly stipulate smoking bans in public places, and an increasing number of pubs and other eateries in Britain are banning smoking, said Yumiko Mochizuki, who leads smoking policy research at the National Cancer Center.

She pointed out that underlying the delay in imposing a smoking ban in public areas in Japan is the fact that the adverse effects on people's health from secondhand smoke have not been clearly recognized.

Bungaku Watanabe, chief editor of the monthly magazine "Kinen Journal (nonsmoking journal)" said some eateries overseas actually had more customers when they banned smoking and nonsmokers began patronizing the businesses. "Making the environment harsh for smokers also saves those who want to quit smoking but aren't able to [on their own]," Watanabe added.

(Feb. 22, 2010)