http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/japan.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/216579,smokers-face-more-and-more-anti-smoking-restrictions-in-japan.html http://tobacco.org/news/268180.html Another smokers' paradise in Asia is disappearing as Japanese smokers face ever more restrictions in the nation's effort to join the global anti-smoking campaign. Japan used to be a smokers' haven with very few laws and restrictions. Commuters lit up on station platforms morning, noon and night. People smoked while strolling around and at work. Cigarettes are available in vending machines and convenience stores on every street corner. But since the United States spearheaded the global anti-smoking campaign, the former smoker's paradise has become uncomfortable for the 43.3 per cent of Japanese men and 12 per cent of women who smoke. First, the price of cigarettes went up to an average 3 dollars per pack . . . The ultimate blow to smokers takes effect throughout Japan in early July when the Tobacco Institute of Japan introduces an identification card called Taspo to buy cigarettes from vending machines. Earth Times Japan Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.pr-inside.com/tobacco-in-japan-to-r663248.htm http://tobacco.org/news/268124.html This databook is a detailed information resource covering all the key data points on Tobacco in Japan. It includes comprehensive value volume segmentation and market share data. The databook supplies actual data to 2006 and full forecasts to 2011. PR Insider Japan Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121493619473920009.html http://tobacco.org/news/268107.html Japan, long known for its smoker-friendly policies, is debating a substantial tax increase that could bring Tokyo in line with the U.S. and Europe. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's annual tax commission is expected to review a proposal by key lawmakers that could more than triple the retail price of a pack of cigarettes to about $10. The backers of the higher tax are looking at the additional revenue as a way to cut Japan's ballooning budget deficit without taking the deeply unpopular move of raising its consumption tax. The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition Japan Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1731090/ http://tobacco.org/news/268101.html Japan Tobacco Inc. and organizations representing tobacco farmers and stores on Tuesday jointly voiced opposition to a possible tobacco tax hike, arguing that higher tobacco prices would dampen consumption and not lead to increased tax revenue. . . . "If the tax is hiked as it is proposed now, the impact on sales would be immeasurable," Yamada said. He added that given an expected slump in tobacco sales in the case of a sharp tax hike, the government would not be able to raise tobacco tax revenues as much as it anticipates. Trading Markets Japan Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200806280093.html http://tobacco.org/news/268078.html Only 22 percent of smokers have obtained taspo, the age-verification IC cards needed to buy cigarettes from vending machines, possibly because of cumbersome application procedures, the Tobacco Institute of Japan said. The unpopularity of taspo, intended to prevent minors from buying cigarettes, is apparently paying off for convenience stores and other retailers, industry insiders said. Asahi Shimbum Japan Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/taspo-tobacco-card-introduced-nationwide http://tobacco.org/news/267978.html The cigarette industry on Tuesday extended nationwide the operation of vending machines that require a card issued only to adults in an effort to prevent underage smoking. Such vending machines, operated by the Tobacco Institute of Japan, started operating in Tokyo, Kanagawa and seven other prefectures Tuesday, the day when use of such cards became mandatory. The industry started gradually introducing the machines across the nation in March. Consumers need ‘‘taspo’’ cards to buy cigarettes from the machines. Japan Today Japan Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=18901 http://tobacco.org/news/267964.html The introduction of stricter rules on vending machines for cigarettes in Japan has helped brighten the earnings prospect of major convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. . ... Sales of cigarettes at FamilyMart outlets have been higher than forecast as Japan now requires smokers to have "taspo" age-verification cards for purchases of cigarettes from vending machines. Japan Corporate News Network Japan Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/06/magazine-photos-fool-age-verification-cameras/ http://tobacco.org/news/267931.html With the full-scale rollout of Japan's cigarette vending machine age-verification system just around the corner, a Sankei Sports news reporter has confirmed the existence of a minor flaw: magazine photos can be used to fool the age-verification cameras on some machines. When the reporter went to check out the new age-verifying machines after they were introduced in the Osaka area in June, he soon discovered that the machines equipped with face-recognition cameras would let him buy cigarettes when he held up a 15-centimeter (6-in) wide magazine photo of a man who looked to be in his 50s. The reporter also went to Kobe, where different face recognition hardware is being used. There, he bought cigarettes using an 8-centimeter (3-in) wide magazine photo of a female celebrity in her 30s. Pink Tentacle Japan Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/01/japans-face-authorizing-cigarette-machines-no-match-for-bruce-w/ http://tobacco.org/news/267892.html Remember those Japanese vending machines that use face recognition to scan for wrinkles and saggy skin before authenticating cigarette purchases? Surprise, they're so easy to circumvent that even a nicotine-addicted kid can do it. Turns out the cameras will authenticate "a 15-centimeter (6-inch) wide magazine photo of a man who looked to be in his 50s." Smaller clippings work too as demonstrated by a successful cigarette vend using a 3-inch photo of a woman in her 30s -- a 1-inch wide photo failed, however. Engadget.com Japan Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a6tWxscyvlyc&refer=japan http://tobacco.org/news/267879.html Credit Suisse Group, Switzerland's second-largest bank, hired Yoshiyasu Okihira, from Nomura Holdings Inc., as an analyst covering Japan's food, beverage and tobacco industries to strengthen its equity business. Bloomberg News tyamazaki@bloomberg.net (Tomoko Yamazaki) Japan Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0628/p05s01-woap.html http://tobacco.org/news/267788.html In a country once dubbed a smoker's paradise, Koichi Yasui's decades of tireless efforts to promote smoke-free taxis haven't always been easy. Twenty years ago, his was the first government-approved smoke-free cab to troll Tokyo's streets. But rather than follow suit, his cab-driver colleagues got angry – as did customers and officials from the government and the industry association. "Some people were yelling at me to be ashamed of this action and get lost," he recalls. "Others crushed my car garage and broke my apartment's door lock. I was so fearful I would put a wooden sword next to the pillow and go to bed." But times are changing. In the past three years, the number of smoke-free taxis has skyrocketed from just 2 percent of taxis – 5,364 – to 150,192. The rate has risen to 60 percent of all cabs Christian Science Monitor Japan Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tobaccojournal.com/Japan_Tobacco_recalls_ashtrays.49058.0.html http://tobacco.org/news/267676.html Japan Tobacco said Monday it will recall some 40,000 giveaway ashtrays it distributed in northern, western and southwestern Japan regions as they may be susceptible to heat damage from burning cigarettes. Tobacco Journal International Japan Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200806230044.html http://tobacco.org/news/267452.html Yohei Sasakawa is promoting a plan to save lives, provide revenue to the government, slash medical expenses and protect children. So why do millions of people detest what he is doing and why are powerful people trying to discredit him? Sasakawa, the influential chairman of the Nippon Foundation charity organization, wants to roughly triple the price of a pack of cigarettes to 1,000 yen. Since March, Sasakawa, using his Internet blog and media interviews, has been arguing that the price of cigarettes in Japan, currently around 300 yen a pack, is too low. He said if a pack costs 1,000 yen, revenue from tobacco taxes will jump by 9.5 trillion yen annually. Asahi Shimbum Japan Mon, 23 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200806160047.html http://tobacco.org/news/267408.html a pack of Mild Seven, which now sells for 300 yen for 20 cigarettes, will cost 1,000 yen under a proposed increase in the tobacco tax. A nonpartisan lawmakers group has proposed this tax rise as a health-improvement policy. We welcome the "1,000 yen a pack" proposal. It is a great idea to induce more people to quit smoking. Tobacco smoke not only harms the one doing the smoking, but also those nearby who inhale the smoke. Smoking in bed can lead to fires. Smoking is also a hotbed of juvenile delinquency. Tobacco sales in Japan generate 2.2 trillion yen in annual tax revenue and support the livelihood of tobacco leaf farmers and retailers. However, if you look at society as a whole, the negatives outweigh the positives. Twenty-first century Japan should aim to become a tobacco-free society. . . . The Tobacco Business Law, which aims to "ensure a steady source of fiscal revenue," must be revised fundamentally. We urge the lawmakers' group to come up with a new, stable source of tax revenue in place of the tobacco tax. Asahi Shimbum Japan Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKT2192820080613 http://tobacco.org/news/266862.html A region near Tokyo has proposed what would be Japan's first ban on smoking in all public areas, including bars, but the proposal faces opposition from restaurant and cafe associations worried about losing customers. Kanagawa prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, plans to pass a regulation by the end of this year that would make all public places smoke-free as part of efforts to fight cancer, which is the leading cause of death in the region. "More and more countries are banning smoking in bars and recreational facilities," Governor Shigefumi Matsuzawa told association leaders in a meeting on Thursday. Reuters Japan Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT