Japan Studying Whether Smokeless Tobacco Meets Definition of Smoking

August 2, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese fire authorities are studying whether the use of heat-not-burn tobacco devices meets the definition of smoking under the Fire Service Act amid the growing popularity of such smokeless cigarettes.

Currently, there is confusion over whether the use of heat-not-burn tobacco devices is allowed in nonsmoking places, such as important cultural properties and theaters.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency will notify municipalities of its views by the end of March next year after conducting experiments to determine whether heat-not-burn cigarettes can cause fire.

The act allows fire officials to ban smoking when they decide it poses a fire hazard. Municipalities prohibit smoking at places such as important cultural properties, theaters and department stores, based on their ordinances.

The agency's decision to set uniform criteria for heat-not-burn tobacco devices comes as it has been receiving many inquiries from local offices about whether they should be covered by existing smoking regulations.

The agency will conduct the experiments in September-November using three types of heat-not-burn tobacco devices, including Philip Morris Japan Ltd.'s iQOS, as well as conventional cigarettes.

The tests will include using the devices in bed and leaving used cylinders of tobacco leaves at trash boxes and ash trays.

Makers of heat-not-burn tobacco devices recommend users to dump used cylinders into trash boxes as they are not lit. Jiji Press