The Japanese smoker is becoming an increasingly rare breed. According to a new survey, 21.7% of Japanese adults are smokers, the lowest proportion recorded since the annual report conducted by Japan Tobacco Inc. began in 1965. The smoking population in Japan declined for the 16th consecutive year, but the latest figure is 2.2 percentage points lower than 2010, reflecting the steepest annual drop seen in recent years.

It’s another victory for the anti-smoking movement, against the backdrop of a pervasive smoking culture where 45.8% of surveyed adult men considered themselves smokers as recently as June 2005. That has now fallen to 33.7%, according to the JT survey released Thursday.

The curbed behavior puts Japan on the lower end of the scale compared to other corners of the world. About 20.6% of all U.S. adults smoke, according to the Center for Disease Control in 2009. Over in Europe, Greece has the highest smoking rate with the proportion of smokers exceeding 40%, according to a European Commission study published in 2010. The same study said the smoking rate among the French came in at 34% and 28% in the U.K. But boasting the world’s largest population, China also has the most smokers – over 300 million.

Japan Tobacco, the country’s leading cigarette maker known as JT, attributes the decline to the graying population, greater awareness about the health risks as well as tightening smoking restrictions. Whereas Japanese smokers could light up with abandon just about anywhere in the past, new regulations have scaled back smoking spots.

To deal with the changing tide, JT has pushed for compromise rather than an all-out ban on smoking like ones imposed in the U.S. and Europe. “JT will continue its efforts to realize a society in which smokers and non-smokers can co-exist in harmony,” said the company in the survey report. One example of nurturing this harmony is in urging smokers to be polite, such as courteously not littering the streets with used butts. Also, the company said it offers complimentary consulting services to restaurants, offices and stores to help create smoking and non-smoking sections before the practice is banished to the outdoors, as it is in all dining establishments in New York City.
(The Wallstreet Journal)