Gov’t OKs bill on stronger steps against passive smoking

March 9, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government adopted Friday a bill to strengthen measures against passive smoking in public places ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Laying out a basic policy to eliminate unwanted passive smoking, the bill to revise the health promotion law seeks to totally ban smoking inside such facilities as schools, hospitals and public office buildings.

The government will submit the bill to the ongoing parliamentary session, aiming for its early enactment.

The bill calls for banning smoking in principle inside restaurants and bars that are newly opened and existing facilities with eating and drinking areas of over 100 square meters.

At those restaurants and bars, heat-not-burn cigarettes, which contain comparatively small amounts of nicotine and cancer-causing substances, would be allowed in separated smoking spaces, while paper-wrapped cigarettes would be allowed only in closed spaces.

The bill allows as an exception smoking at existing restaurants and bars with customer areas of up to 100 square meters that are operated by companies with capital of 50 million yen or less.

For office buildings, the bill bans smoking in principle but allows the establishment of indoor smoking areas.

It calls for banning the entry of people aged under 20 into smoking areas, obliging facility operators to put up signs to that effect.

The bill sets fines for violators at up to 500,000 yen. Jiji Press