[Intl-tobacco] Anti-smoking plan comes under fire (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

Anti-smoking plan comes under fire
Source: Asahi Shimbum, Friday, 2/4/00

The Liberal Democratic Party and the tobacco industry have denounced the
health ministry's plan to create a healthier society in the 21st century.

The ministry last year drafted measures to slice the nation's smoking rate
in half by 2010.

But the ministry backed off that goal after being bombarded by more than
2,000 complaints from the tobacco industry, ministry officials said. In
addition, the LDP's Policy Research Council sent a resolution to the
ministry, saying that government measures to restrict smoking would be
unconstitutional.

Before establishing the health target for the 21st century, the ministry
suggested in an August interim report halving the current smoking
rate-52.8 percent for men and 13.4 percent for women-as well as the
current annual consumption of 3,152 cigarettes per smoker.

The report came under heavy fire from Japan Tobacco Inc., a union of
tobacco producers, a union of tobacco traders and others in the industry,
the officials said.

``Smoking should not be controlled by the government,'' one complaint
said. Another simply stated that ``cigarettes are legal products.''

The industry collected more than 53,000 signatures to oppose the
ministry's proposed target.

In November, special committees of the LDP's Policy Research Council sent
their resolution to the ministry, saying that administrative guidance is a
problem because individuals should decide if they want to use the product.

The committees also said that the ministry's plan to set a specific target
figure could be problematic, the officials said.

Hiroshi Yanagawa, chief of the ministry panel that discussed the proposal,
said it would be easy to reach the goal if the ministry offered assistance
to people who want to kick the habit.

Yanagawa, who is also vice principal at Saitama Prefectural University,
said the ministry should indicate a specific figure for a reduced smoking
rate because it is a crucial part of the proposal.

``I would like opponents of the plan to understand that the government
cannot force the target figure on Japanese nationals,'' a ministry
official said.