[Intl-tobacco] Japan To Ban Tobacco Ads In Highly Public Places

[Robert Weissman]

Japan To Ban Tobacco Ads In Highly Public Places
Dow Jones Newswires
 January 29, 2004

 ByTakeshi Takeuchi, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9285;
 takeshi.takeuchi@dowjones.com

 Washington --Japan's Finance Ministry is set to totally ban advertising
 tobacco products in highly public places in March, requiring the
industry to
 remove gradually its ads from such sites as inside public transport
 vehicles, the daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported on its Web site Thursday.

 The annual tobacco tax revenue total around Y1 trillion each for the
 national government and local governments. For the national government, the
 tax-take accounts for about 3% of the total revenue. The stricter ads
 policy will likely accelerate the trend of smoke-quitting in Japan, where
 one in three adults currently smokes, Yomiuri said.

 Japan's new measure will be introduced in line with the rule enacted by the
 World Health Organization last May, which required the member countries to
 stop advertising tobacco within five years, the daily said. Tobacco ads
 will also be shut off from billboards of busy shopping areas and public
 transport terminals. In addition, newspaper and magazine publishers
will be
 required to slash the volume of tobacco ads on their media, the daily added.

 The percentage of smokers in Japan declined to 32.9% in 2000 from 36.9% in
 1991.