There is pressure on Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Summer Games, including from the IOC, to "follow Rio de Janeiro and other recent Olympic venues in banning smoking in all public places to create a healthy sporting environment," according to Lies & Ha of REUTERS. But an "initial proposal for a blanket ban on smoking indoors across Japan was opposed by pro-smoking politicians, restaurateurs and Japan Tobacco," which is one-third government-owned and paid the state $700M in dividends in '15. The health ministry "scaled back its plan" to allow smoking indoors in spaces around 30 square meters "as long as adequate ventilation is installed." But opponents said that this will "still hurt Japan's many eateries, restrict individual freedom, and dent tobacco tax revenues" -- which topped 2T yen in '14-15. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's health committee, whose support is "essential to introducing the bill in parliament," will not meet ministry officials and said that the revised bill is "too strict." Committee Chair Naomi Tokashiki acknowledged there "should be a law that protects against second-hand smoke," but said that Japan's "cultural emphasis on good manners and sensitivity to others should suffice." A ministry official involved in crafting the bill said, "It's not a question of manners, we're looking at the impact on health" (REUTERS, 5/2).
