Countries in Asia are stepping up in the war against cigarettes. Japan, China, the Philippines and Indonesia have launched new measures to regulate smoking and tobacco products, in the interest of public health.
Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Japan’s health minister, said that the government is stepping up against passive smoking in light of the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry already has limits set on passive smoking, including a complete ban on indoor smoking in restaurants, hotels and airports, the Huffington Post reports.
Shiozaki added that the move is a response to a World Health Organization report that said Japan had some of the weakest prevention measures when it comes to smoking. “Japan should take a historic step,” he said.
Neighboring world-power China is seeing the benefits of its improved anti-smoking campaigns. According to the Financial Times, the volume of tobacco sold in the country fell for the first time in 20 years, and tobacco consumption dropped 2.4% last year.
China strengthened its tobacco regulations by raising taxed and prohibiting indoor smoking, as well as smoking in some public outdoor areas.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has likewise declared that stricter tobacco regulations will soon be in place. Eric Tayag, assistant health secretary for the Philippines, announced that smoking will be banned in public places starting this month.
The Philippines has some of the strictest laws on smoking in Asia, including a ban on tobacco advertising and a mandate that graphic smoking health hazards be printed on cigarette packs.
Indonesia, known as a “smoker’s paradise” for refusing to ratify the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), has moved forward with plans to reduce smoking in the country. Last month, the Indonesia government unveiled a plan to increase excise on tobacco products by around 10.5% next year.
Sri Mulyani, Indonesia’s finance minister, said that the increase in taxes is a way to control cigarette production and consumption. However, critics have pointed out that the new law favors Indonesia’s leading tobacco companies, Philip Morris and British American Tobacco, which make up 65% of the country’s market.
