Smoking-linked losses in Japan estimated at over ¥2 trillion

Good news! (since money is one of the few things that makes people make changes).

the smoking rate in Japan has dropped to a record low 17.9 percent

Yet seems higher. May it continue to drop.

What about the intangible losses, like decreased worker productivity and second hand smoke related costs.

Overblown. Japan has a lower smoking rate than Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Germany, and France, among others. These nations are not know to be blighted by health issues and have (behind Japan of course) the highest life expectancies on Earth.

ABOUT TIME THIS INFORMATION CAME OUT. Add it to ever article that tout the JT/LDP party line about "loss of income to restaurants and bars" and the income JT gives to the LDP. Add in lost productivity for addicts to constantly scurry somewhere to get their fixes and the stench and second-hand smoke. Jeepers, come ON, Japan and get on with it and make smoking indoors a flat-out ban.

There are smoking-linked gains too. Smokers’ earlier deaths mean fewer pension and nursing care costs. Also smokers are paying cigarette taxes.

Meiyouwenti, that is the weakest excuse for supporting smoking of all time. Very narrow minded and ignores ALL the other evidence against it. Nice try.

Only 33000 die from second hand smoke, almost the same as suicide. 123,000,000 citizens in japan. Over 30% smoke.

Nothing you can do about people who cannot live healthily

exactly obese and smokers alike

There are smoking-linked gains too. Smokers’ earlier deaths mean fewer pension and nursing care costs. Also smokers are paying cigarette taxes.

well then you have the morality of it, let smoker continue so the government can keep earning tax from them even if it means they die early leaving heartbroken families behind or help them quit by making cigarette taxes higher and employers providing them quit seminars/support , Then they can die like the rest of us by natural causes.

statistic show that on average life time smokers die about 14yrs earlier than non smokers but not mainly from cancer as many would assume but respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, like emphysema and strokes from hardening of the capillaries

Smoking ain't going anywhere, deal with it

statistic show that on average life time smokers die about 14yrs earlier than non smokers but not mainly from cancer as many would assume but respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, like emphysema and strokes from hardening of the capillaries

Very true. This is how my mother died. She smoked her entire life!

Smoking ain't going anywhere, deal with it

They are going to an early grave. But thank you for showing everyone once again how self absorbed smokers are and why they are so despised in civil society now. Pitiful addicts who kill others with their despicable habit and drain society of resources that could go to help kids rather than dealing with cancer created by choice. Sad.

@Wellington

Haha well put!

I'm against smoking, but blanket bans and restrictions are unreasonable and unacceptable. The world should be liberalizing, not prohibiting, censoring, and banning everything. Are we to go back to the dark ages where everything is banned? People should beware of the slippery slope as it slides both ways

Do blood tests for nicotine and assess smokers' health insurance rates accordingly. Also screen LDL cholesterol, BMI and liver fat percentage/scarring. Charge accordingly.

That's reasonable. Others in the insurance premium pool shouldn't have to pay extra for smokers' coverage as it is a lifestyle choice. I do believe health and life insurers already check for smoking though

The question is, how much does Tokyu Hands government make on taxes? Is it covering the costs?

The question is, how much does the government make on taxes? Is it covering the costs?

Smoking should just be forbidden !

This piece of news is about cost to government, considers how to restrict another joy of life, how foolish it may be, by legislation rather than individual responsibility.

@Meiyouwenti "There are smoking-linked gains too. Smokers’ earlier deaths mean fewer pension and nursing care costs."

Sorry, but this is completely wrong. The "gains" of pension and nursing are far outweighed by the absurdly high anti-cancer treatments, radiation therapies, nursing costs, doctor's salaries of treating the incurable (at the expense of other diseases), hospital costs, insurance payouts, as well as the human toll of young children having to watch a parent or grandparent die of emphysema, cancer or other preventable by-product of cancer sticks.

That's OK. Next generation (who are non-smokers) will pay for it later. No problem!

They forgot to calculate in the loss of me not going to or spending money in smoking establishments.

But hey, Tokyo, make the ban "optional".

Pernod: "They forgot to calculate in the loss of me not going to or spending money in smoking establishments."

In taxes? Zero. I'm not paying for your cancer, bud.

How about this as a compromise: people who smoke have to carry an ID to buy cigarettes -- and it must be validated by scan at all vending locations (with machines being phased out completely). People who apply for the card must register, and upon doing so forfeit all Nation Health Insurance coverage while paying double into it to cover the costs of second-hand related illnesses, since they cause them. If they do that, I'd be for allowing them to smoke. Also, establishments that allow smoking must pay extra taxes.

I think the health ministry has not taken into account all the losses that would have been incurred by all the violent incidents that would have occurred if smokers couldn't keep their stress levels under control by getting their nicotine fixes.  Another thing... if all smokers quit smoking and the number of cancer cases dropped sharply, there would be tremendous job losses in the medical and nursing industry.  But with all the money saved, these people could be re-trained.  Doctors could learn how to be carpenters.  Hey, a good carpenter can make a lot of money!

Belrick

statistic show that on average life time smokers die about 14yrs earlier than non smokers but not mainly from cancer as many would assume but respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, like emphysema and strokes from hardening of the capillaries

Very true. This is how my mother died. She smoked her entire life!

Yet, my great grandfather, grandmother lived well into their late 90s, both 2 and 3 pack a day smokers respectively...

@thepersoniamnow

Good news! (since money is one of the few things that makes people make changes).

Money also affect the tobacco industries and they would like to change that more people will be smoker......

As long as they do not smoke next to me, etc. I do not really care. After all, they volunteer to blacken their lungs.

Smoking ain't going anywhere, deal with it

nobody is stating it should I for one dont, smokers can choose to smoke if they like or not, Japan is still a reasonable free country, what is not acceptable is for smokers to have their habits effect the health of others around them when the choose to smoke around those people thinking their right to smoke supersede non smokers right to clean air. If we were back in the 50S when the majority of the population smoked then sure but its 2018 nonsmokers outnumber smokers almost 3 to 1 and being in a democratic country the rights and health of the majority outweigh those of the minority, laws to ban smoking in public places is coming it just a matter of time, smokers just need to deal with it or better still do yourself & your family a favor and quit.

"We have found that smoking not only increases medical costs but also leads to financial losses in a range of areas such as nursing care," he said.

This information was available 30+ years ago, but I suppose I should be thankful accurate costs are now available in Japan. This Govt doesn't even breathe unless there is money to be made on the side somehow so better this info is known

wow Japanese smokes more than French!

@marcelito

It is because it is a Japanese News site. Comparing to many countries and places I had been as a non-smoke and very sensitive to smell (I could actually smell someone smokes in the car in front of me on a highway about 10-15 meters away and speed away from perfume department), at least I do not need to practice holding my breath. As in China, HK, or even Quebec Canada, you would think smoking is a cure for cancer.

Everything is fraud and fake. Japanese medical insurance is the biggest scam scheme.

Meiyouwenti, that is the weakest excuse for supporting smoking of all time. Very narrow minded and ignores ALL the other evidence against it. Nice try.

As it is mind-blowing to assume that someone who recently died of pancreatic cancer was possible a smoker who spend his life in smoke-filled spaces :)

Overblown. Japan has a lower smoking rate than Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Germany, and France, among others. These nations are not know to be blighted by health issues and have (behind Japan of course) the highest life expectancies on Earth.

Per capita yearly consumption of cigarettes 2016 as follows -

Germany 1599, 

Japan 1583,

Switzerland 1489 

France 1089

Ireland 976

Norway 552

The figures above is from a WHO list for 2016.

Now some more detailed on Smoking and Death figures by the American Cancer Society

attached.

Germany 1599, 

https://s27854.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/pdf/germany-country-facts.pdf

Japan 1583

https://s27854.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/pdf/japan-country-facts.pdf

United States 1016

https://s27854.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/pdf/usa-country-facts.pdf

United Kingdom 827

https://s27854.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/pdf/united-kingdom-country-facts.pdf

Norway 552

https://s27854.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/pdf/norway-country-facts.pdf

Despite the high number of male smokers in Japan, with 33.7% way higher than men in other developed countries the death toll related to tobacco are lower than in the other countries in the fact sheets above. Only Norway, where they smoke according to the WHO list 552 cigarettes per capita, has a lower death toll for men.

Japan women however smoke less than their sisters in the other 4 countries and are the only country with less than 5% deaths related to tobacco compared to all others accept Norway [ 13.58%] who have to tobacco related death percentages above 15%.

So obvious smoking alone is not the only driver behind the tobacco related deaths in other developed nations.

...compared to all others who have tobacco related death percentages above 15% except Norway [ 13.58%]* ***

Maybe stop smoking? Kinda?

> Maybe stop smoking? Kinda?

Cigars is an alternative, and you can tell anyone that you don’t smoke cigarettes :)

how foolish it may be, by legislation rather than individual responsibility.

Smokers are responsible? Hah, that is a good one. Look around any train station and see the litter created by smokers. Look where kids are playing and see smokers making them inhale their second hand smoke. Look at any restaurant that does not ban smoking see smokers while eating polluting the place. Smokers are not even responsible to take care of their own health, lets along care responsibly for others. The are addicts, just like any other junkies, and only care about their fix. They need help as they are not responsible for themselves

at all.

I quit smoking for a month. Do I feel better health wise? Not really. I am eating junk foods and drinking sugar water more often. When I was smoking I did not see ants around me. Now ants come near to me to get sweets scraps I dropped on the floor.

If people want to risk their health by smoking- that’s their problem not anyone else’s.

If people want to risk their health by smoking- that’s their problem not anyone else’s.

What utter nonsense. Second hand smoke disease is a quantifiable measurable thing so all those people affected deserved not to be.

Smoker's organs are more liquified than a non-smoker, so any surgery a smoker wants they cannot have and have to wait 2-3 weeks of not smoking so that their organs solidify. Hope it's not emergency

Smokers on average live more sickly lives and companies have to put up with billions in losses which is why some of the larger sane ones offer to pay for help to quit

Japan has banned everything addictive except nicotine, alcohol, and gambling. Take those things away and a population might start paying attention

I quit smoking for a month. Do I feel better health wise? Not really.

How long were you smoking? If it's more than a year or two, it's probably going to take you months to start to notice the difference. One month is nothing. When I quit, it took almost that long just to clear ll the crap from my lungs.

Japan has banned everything addictive except nicotine, alcohol, and gambling. Take those things away and a population might start paying attention

So name a country where 'those things' are taken away.. :)

Netgrump, I would appreciate it mightily if you would not twist people's words. For instance, in another post, I did not "assume". I asked if the recently deceased had smoked. Big difference.

If people want to risk their health by smoking- that’s their problem not anyone else’s.

Except it is also the problem of anyone who inhales their smoke. Because of a smoking couple in the apartment below us my roommate with asthma sometimes had to use her inhaler in her own home when they smoked on their veranda. Asthma attacks can be triggered by tobacco smoke and they can be fatal. It's just not fair.

I don't get the point of this article.

Is it talking about the fact that medical costs for people with smoking related health problems are expensive?

If yes, then, welcome to stating the obvious. If no, then what is the point here?

Netgrump, I would appreciate it mightily if you would not twist people's words. For instance, in another post, I did not "assume". I asked if the recently deceased had smoked. Big difference.

Someone died of pancreatic cancer and you asked in that thread if he had smoked and spend his life in smoke filled rooms didn't you?

So what are you assuming?

.and when as this article is about taxpayers foot a huge bill for medical care caused by their nasty personal choice 

A poster above mentioned the smoking related gains such savings on pension costs and nursing when they die earlier and the fact that smokers pay taxes.

One can wonder if the tax benefits exceed the tobacco related medical costs and personally I 'assume' [no stats available] that most costs will be covered.

Netgrump, I am assuming nothing. Stop twisting my words or looking for nefarious undertones. I asked my question and that is all.

Schopenhauer: “I quit smoking for a month”

Try two months at least, and try to muster some of that will power you’re using to not smoke and use it in turn to avoid finding a substitute vice. Eat nuts instead of sugary snacks, do some exercise.

When I was smoking I did not see ants around me. Now ants come near to me to get sweets scraps I dropped on the floor.

Let's see, ants versus lung cancer. Think about it.