Japanese Government is under attack by the media for hiding vital information on tobacco hazards
Japanese Government is under attack by the media for hiding vital
information on tobacco hazards
As German government1 the Japanese government is under attack for
hiding information on vital information on smoking hazards from the media.
Smokers may be inhaling up to five times the amount of nicotine and seven
times the amount of tar than is claimed on health warnings in the packages
according to recent study done in Canada, funded by the Ministry of Health
in Japan. The analysis found that smokers of the brand with the most
misleading packaging inhaled 6.7 times more tar and 4.8 times more
nicotine than mentioned in the package. But the Ministry fearful of sales
drop, won’t reveal which companies are falsely labelling their products.2
It has been recognized for many years, both in the medical literature
and by the tobacco industry, that nicotine addiction plays a major part in
the motivation to smoke cigarettes. The Ottawa Charter for Health
Promotion calls for building healthy public policy, that is for[putting]
health on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors and at all levels,
directing them to be aware of the health consequences of their decisions
and to accept their responsibilities for health.3
Public health interpretations of health warnings pose the exposure to
a warning reduce the forewarned unsafe behaviour. Such a deterrent effect
is consistent with commonsense interpretations of warnings as providing
risk information that ultimately reduces problem behaviour. Assuming a
deterrent effect, the warning label present on cigarette packs should lead
to reduced smoking and related problems. Across several studies, however,
there is actually a positive cross-sectional association between substance
use and exposure to the respective health warning labels. For example,
positive associations between consumption and warning exposure (where
exposure is measured by self-reports of seeing the warning or memory for
warning content) were found among high school students, adults and
pregnant women and among collage students for alcohol, smokeless tobacco
and smoking tobacco.4 Because these health warnings are on the packaging,
the positive associations have been interpreted as implying that the
warnings are successful. Furthermore, some laws requiring warnings state
that the purpose of the warning is to inform and remind persons of the
potential hazards of smoking. If people are given correct hazard
information and if people see and remember the warning, they are being
informed of the hazard.
Based on longitudinal data a comprehensive recent study shows a
considerable increase in mortality from tobacco-related diseases in Japan.
The burden of disease attributable to tobacco amounted to 10 % of the
total YLLs (Years of Life Lost) and 7% of total DALYs (Disability Adjusted
Life Years), suggesting that tobacco is probably a single major risk
factor of mortality and morbidity in Japan.5 The government should pay
attention to long term burden of diseases associated with tobacco rather
than to the short term profit from tobacco sales. The Finance Ministry
owns the nation’s only cigarette manufacturer, the world’s third-largest
tobacco company, and obliged by law to ‘promote the health and
development’ of the industry. Regarding the health problems related to
tobacco, the Finance ministry, which is responsible for tobacco taxes and
the health warnings on cigarette packages, is clearly negligent. To create
global legislation, the World Health Organization’s (WHO's) 191 member
states are currently negotiating a legally binding international
agreement, the FCTC, which may include legally binding rules on tobacco
smuggling, international standardization, disclosure of product contents,
and package design and labeling.6
World Health Organization (WHO) is planning to adopt the framework
convention on Tobacco control at its general meeting in May 2003. African
and most Asian countries want a tough treaty with sweeping restrictions.
Meanwhile Japan prefers much weaker ‘appropriate’ measures which dictated
by the Government owned Japan tobacco company. The Japanese government,
which plans to attend the convention, wants the convention to reflect all
participating nations’ social, economic and cultural circumstances.7
British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2001 noted that even mass media in Japan,
denounced antismoking campaigns in both European countries and the US for
their hypersensitiveness to the tobacco issue, concluding that any
antismoking policy will infringe adults’ liberty to smoke.8
Having conclusively established the harm that results from tobacco use,
the research community must now find an equally effective political
strategy to prevent increasing epidemic. The ministry of Health and
Welfare in Japan set numerous objectives in the Healthy Japan 21 to
achieve health of the nation in year 2010. Already the set targets to
reduce tobacco consumption per capita by 50% in the Healthy Japan 21 has
just recently been deleted, following pressure from a political party in
support of the tobacco farmers and tobacco industry.9It seems that when
dealing with this sensitive issue policy makers usually yield to the
pressure or consideration of the current political and economic
environment rather than scientific evidence. It should be understand that
saving lives of citizens and political interest cannot be achieved
simultaneously. This is a public health emergency, Japan and many other
Asian countries have yet to comprehensively address. Saving lives can not
be taken to heart by policy makers whose governments are directly involved
in the tobacco- manufacturing and distribution business.10 Importantly,
national policy on reducing smoking was deleted from its important public
health agenda, even policy makers are aware that in 1995, it estimated
that smoking was a major factor in 95,000 deaths, 12 percent of the
nation’s total.
1. Tuffs. A., German government under attack for anti-smoking
advertisements. BMJ 2003:327;360
2. Asahi News. Smokes deadlier than labels suggest-March 24-2002
3. WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. World Health Organization,
Geneva, 1986.
4. Mackinnon, D.P., Fenaugty, A.M., Substance use and memory for health
warning labels. Health Psychology 1993; 12: 147-150
5. Shibuya, K., change in mortality and years of life lost attributable to
tobacco in Japan, 1985-1995. Asia Pac J Public Health 1999; 11(2) 65-70.
6. Taylor AL, Bettcher DW. WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: a
global "good" for public health. Bull World Health Organ. 2000;78:920-929.
8. Gohma, I., Tobacco control policy is regarded as fascism in Japan. BMJ
2001; 323:7316:810
9. Watts, J., Smoking. Sake and suicide: Japan plans a healthier future.
Lancet 1999; 354: 9181;843
10. Desapriya E.B.R., Iwase N., Shimizu S., Political economy of tobacco
control policy on public health in Japan. Japanese Journal of alcohol and
drug dependence. 2003; 38(1):15-33.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests:
No competing interests
16 August 2003
Ediriweera B.R., Desapriya
Research Associate
BC injury Research and Prevention Unit, Centre for community Child health Research, V6H 3V4
Rapid Response:
Japanese Government is under attack by the media for hiding vital information on tobacco hazards
Japanese Government is under attack by the media for hiding vital
information on tobacco hazards
As German government1 the Japanese government is under attack for
hiding information on vital information on smoking hazards from the media.
Smokers may be inhaling up to five times the amount of nicotine and seven
times the amount of tar than is claimed on health warnings in the packages
according to recent study done in Canada, funded by the Ministry of Health
in Japan. The analysis found that smokers of the brand with the most
misleading packaging inhaled 6.7 times more tar and 4.8 times more
nicotine than mentioned in the package. But the Ministry fearful of sales
drop, won’t reveal which companies are falsely labelling their products.2
It has been recognized for many years, both in the medical literature
and by the tobacco industry, that nicotine addiction plays a major part in
the motivation to smoke cigarettes. The Ottawa Charter for Health
Promotion calls for building healthy public policy, that is for[putting]
health on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors and at all levels,
directing them to be aware of the health consequences of their decisions
and to accept their responsibilities for health.3
Public health interpretations of health warnings pose the exposure to
a warning reduce the forewarned unsafe behaviour. Such a deterrent effect
is consistent with commonsense interpretations of warnings as providing
risk information that ultimately reduces problem behaviour. Assuming a
deterrent effect, the warning label present on cigarette packs should lead
to reduced smoking and related problems. Across several studies, however,
there is actually a positive cross-sectional association between substance
use and exposure to the respective health warning labels. For example,
positive associations between consumption and warning exposure (where
exposure is measured by self-reports of seeing the warning or memory for
warning content) were found among high school students, adults and
pregnant women and among collage students for alcohol, smokeless tobacco
and smoking tobacco.4 Because these health warnings are on the packaging,
the positive associations have been interpreted as implying that the
warnings are successful. Furthermore, some laws requiring warnings state
that the purpose of the warning is to inform and remind persons of the
potential hazards of smoking. If people are given correct hazard
information and if people see and remember the warning, they are being
informed of the hazard.
Based on longitudinal data a comprehensive recent study shows a
considerable increase in mortality from tobacco-related diseases in Japan.
The burden of disease attributable to tobacco amounted to 10 % of the
total YLLs (Years of Life Lost) and 7% of total DALYs (Disability Adjusted
Life Years), suggesting that tobacco is probably a single major risk
factor of mortality and morbidity in Japan.5 The government should pay
attention to long term burden of diseases associated with tobacco rather
than to the short term profit from tobacco sales. The Finance Ministry
owns the nation’s only cigarette manufacturer, the world’s third-largest
tobacco company, and obliged by law to ‘promote the health and
development’ of the industry. Regarding the health problems related to
tobacco, the Finance ministry, which is responsible for tobacco taxes and
the health warnings on cigarette packages, is clearly negligent. To create
global legislation, the World Health Organization’s (WHO's) 191 member
states are currently negotiating a legally binding international
agreement, the FCTC, which may include legally binding rules on tobacco
smuggling, international standardization, disclosure of product contents,
and package design and labeling.6
World Health Organization (WHO) is planning to adopt the framework
convention on Tobacco control at its general meeting in May 2003. African
and most Asian countries want a tough treaty with sweeping restrictions.
Meanwhile Japan prefers much weaker ‘appropriate’ measures which dictated
by the Government owned Japan tobacco company. The Japanese government,
which plans to attend the convention, wants the convention to reflect all
participating nations’ social, economic and cultural circumstances.7
British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2001 noted that even mass media in Japan,
denounced antismoking campaigns in both European countries and the US for
their hypersensitiveness to the tobacco issue, concluding that any
antismoking policy will infringe adults’ liberty to smoke.8
Having conclusively established the harm that results from tobacco use,
the research community must now find an equally effective political
strategy to prevent increasing epidemic. The ministry of Health and
Welfare in Japan set numerous objectives in the Healthy Japan 21 to
achieve health of the nation in year 2010. Already the set targets to
reduce tobacco consumption per capita by 50% in the Healthy Japan 21 has
just recently been deleted, following pressure from a political party in
support of the tobacco farmers and tobacco industry.9It seems that when
dealing with this sensitive issue policy makers usually yield to the
pressure or consideration of the current political and economic
environment rather than scientific evidence. It should be understand that
saving lives of citizens and political interest cannot be achieved
simultaneously. This is a public health emergency, Japan and many other
Asian countries have yet to comprehensively address. Saving lives can not
be taken to heart by policy makers whose governments are directly involved
in the tobacco- manufacturing and distribution business.10 Importantly,
national policy on reducing smoking was deleted from its important public
health agenda, even policy makers are aware that in 1995, it estimated
that smoking was a major factor in 95,000 deaths, 12 percent of the
nation’s total.
1. Tuffs. A., German government under attack for anti-smoking
advertisements. BMJ 2003:327;360
2. Asahi News. Smokes deadlier than labels suggest-March 24-2002
3. WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. World Health Organization,
Geneva, 1986.
4. Mackinnon, D.P., Fenaugty, A.M., Substance use and memory for health
warning labels. Health Psychology 1993; 12: 147-150
5. Shibuya, K., change in mortality and years of life lost attributable to
tobacco in Japan, 1985-1995. Asia Pac J Public Health 1999; 11(2) 65-70.
6. Taylor AL, Bettcher DW. WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: a
global "good" for public health. Bull World Health Organ. 2000;78:920-929.
7. Kapp, C., WHO’s tobacco control. Lancet 2002; 359-9311;1045
8. Gohma, I., Tobacco control policy is regarded as fascism in Japan. BMJ
2001; 323:7316:810
9. Watts, J., Smoking. Sake and suicide: Japan plans a healthier future.
Lancet 1999; 354: 9181;843
10. Desapriya E.B.R., Iwase N., Shimizu S., Political economy of tobacco
control policy on public health in Japan. Japanese Journal of alcohol and
drug dependence. 2003; 38(1):15-33.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests