Smokers less than 20% of Japanese population for 1st time: report

Pumped up their efforts - what a bunch of baloney! With smoker numbers continuing to dwindle, one would think the government would do more than making pumped up efforts. Actions people, actions.

Smokers less than 20% of Japanese population for 1st time:

It's nice to see it happen. I had started smoking trying to look cool when I was young like other young people smoked for the same reason. Yes, I was actually an average smoker for some time. But after a while, I thought it was harmful to inhale poisonous chemicals every day. So I quit smoking once and for all. Come to think of it, dragging on cancer sticks day after day is very ridiculous. But I am a decent drinker. Yes, sake is the chief of all medicine if you drink moderately. :‑)

Yeah, it does seem to be very positive news, but can you believe it's authenticity?

Wow then those 20% a real A-holes, even at 20% they manage to keep the laws in their favor despite the overwhelming reasons to change them.

I think most of the 20% live in Okinawa!

I recently read an article written by a famous cancer researcher. A person has 22,000 genes and of which 3% is related to cancer. The cancer causing genes are hurt by various reasons and smoking is one of them. It is a matter of chance. Smoking hazzard is exaggerated. I will continue to smoke.

If you want believable statistics then don't trust the JP government which lies about everything, check out the Tobacco company's annual reports and see how the sales are doing in each market. You'll get far more honest answers there than you will from some dinosaur bureaucrat.

absolutly no way...

schopenhauer - good on you for taking a risk. Good Luck.

But some of us don't want to take the risk , which is why I hope you are aware of others around you.

And while that smoking data (19.8%)may well be true, it's the demograhic dispersion that's all important. Some areas will have a far greater % of smokers than others. The male users in my city still appear to be ubiquitous.

Schopen

Was the research and researcher paid for by JT or BAT or PM?

I wish less than 20% of restaurants were non-smoking.

Cigarettes business are losing profits?  Then believe stat reporting.  Maybe the research only ask to Japanese people?  There are smoke praises here on JT comments.

Less than 20%? Someone is standing in a bull field. Just Absolutely NO WAY.

Having been in Japan nearly 2 decades I believe this report. Several of my employees (male in their 40s and above) stopped smoking about 5 years ago. I see this as a good thing as it is better for their health and possibly less of a burden on Japan's single payer health care system. For those that wish to continue to smoke I think this is fine but respect should be given to non smokers.

One thing that really bothers me is going to a nice restaurant where people are allowed to smoke. I think any chef who takes pride in his or her cooking would not want the customers to smell smoke which would impact the ability to taste and enjoy nice food (at least it does for me).

Anyway I think this is good news.

But the g.g's runs japan (most smokers) and until the last smoking old fart has gone up in "smoke" the law will only change for 2020 to appear to be on par with the west and remember folks its big business and they control......

The sick thing about the big tobacco companies is that they actively go looking out for less developed nations to push their addictive poison too, and take advantage of less restrictive advertizing markets to do so.

Japan Tobacco, who own something like 99% of the market, report cigarette sales have been in decline since peaking at 303.2 billion units in 1985 to 96 billion cigarettes in Japan this year, 9.6 percent fewer than in 2016.

Therefore, the figures look sound.

I'd like a ban in any public space from bars and restaurants to onsen waiting rooms, which are the worst.

It's great that this number is going down. Japan is becoming better and better everyday.

When I first started at my workplace years ago, every Japanese staff member smoked. Then a lot of those old members retired/got relocated and a generation of younger staff are in their place, and none of them smoke. It's a nice improvement. I don't have to deal with that smell as much anymore!