Japan may be renowned for its healthy cuisine, but we sure are behind the international curve when it comes to one major public health issue: smoking.
Nicotine-stained bars and cafés are a fixture across the country, with people lighting up indoors without a care in the world, while smoking outside in non-designated spaces (or while walking) is considered a no-no akin to having a freakout in public.
For many visitors to our dear city, our smoking laws feel like the world has been flipped upside down, and with the Olympics on the way, calls for a proper indoor smoking ban are growing louder and louder.
A new bill proposed in late 2016 would make it mandatory for restaurants and bars to install separate smoking rooms with proper ventilation or go completely smoke-free. However, this draft is facing heavy opposition from several directions.
The resistance mainly comes in the form of Japan Tobacco, with the 30-percent government-owned entity and the restaurant industry leading the clamour alongside pro-smoking politicians.
The ruling party's health committee, the approval of which is needed to even get a bill to the floor of the Diet, has refused to discuss a ban as long as plans are 'too strict'. The committee chair's comments to Reuters are instructive:
'I believe Japanese people really are considerate of others. [...] It's more important for us to trust people than enact a really repressive law.' So much for omotenashi.
At least the health ministry seems on board for a proper ban, citing Japan's feeble attempts to prevent passive smoking in particular. According to minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki, the World Health Organisation has labelled the country's current efforts 'among the world's worst', with an estimated 15,000 annual deaths due to passive smoking.
Yet even if the bill manages to get through, enforcement may become a problem. Kanagawa Prefecture implemented a ban back in 2010, but to this day, no one has been fined even if they were in violation of the law. Anyway, we're not betting on the air clearing up at our local izakaya any time soon.
Let us know your thoughts and suggestions regarding a possible smoking ban in the comments!