Japan Lower House Passes Bill to Curb Passive Smoking

June 19, 2018

Tokyo- A bill to strengthen measures against passive smoking in public places passed the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, on Tuesday.

The bill was approved at a Lower House plenary meeting by a majority vote with support mainly from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito.

After debates at the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, the ruling camp aims to have the bill to revise the health promotion law enacted during the ongoing Diet session, which is currently scheduled to end on Wednesday but likely to be extended by about a month, informed sources said.

The government plans to put the revised law into effect by April 2020, before the start of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics that year.

Under the revised law, Japan will basically ban indoor smoking at facilities many people use. Smoking will be permitted only at designated smoking rooms at such facilities. Violators would face a penalty.

The bill includes a transitional measure for heat-not-burn tobacco products as their impact on health remains uncertain. The measure will allow drinking and eating at smoking rooms for users of such products.

Smoking will be permitted at existing small bars and eateries with customer-seating space of up to 100 square meters if they display smoking-permitted signs.

Japan will ban smoking within the premises of public facilities, such as schools, hospitals and administrative organizations, in principle. Still, those facilities will be allowed to have outdoor smoking spaces.

Among opposition parties, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) rejected the bill, saying that the measures against secondhand smoking included in the legislation are not enough. Jiji Press