3 Japanese wage court battle against Japan Tobacco

Sunday 02nd August, 06:50 AM JST

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bobbafett at 08:46 PM JST - 2nd August

People here are talking about non smoking bars etc. There is one I know of in Osaka. I have never seen more than 2 people in it at any one time, during any day of the week. I hate the smell of smoking so much that I hardly go out anymore unless I am far from tobaccos disgusting stench.
Bizarro at 09:14 PM JST - 2nd August

In April, a major restaurant chain opened Cafe Tobacco, a Tokyo coffee shop billing itself as a haven for smokers.

I'm all for this. Let all the smokers enjoy themselves in such smoker havens, and clean up other cafes and restaurants so my family and I can breathe some clean air.

I don’t want to live an extra year or two by giving up what I love to do,” said Kishi, 28, manager at a consultancy.

Typical selfish smoker attitude. He doesn't care about the effect of his smoking on others (including children and babies, if he's anything like the smokers I encounter here daily who won't hesitate to light up around small children).
Bizarro at 09:16 PM JST - 2nd August

As stated, not only does the J-government own one-half of JT, but they also get 60% of the cost of every pack of cigarettes sold here in the form of taxes. The finances of Japan simply could not take the hit from a huge change to smoking practices here.

That's true, but wouldn't the health insurance system save a heck of a lot in health care costs if people quit?
Pukey2 at 09:45 PM JST - 2nd August

I don’t want to live an extra year or two by giving up what I love to do,” said Kishi, 28, manager at a consultancy.

Well, yes, he may lose a year or two, but the few preceeding years will be hell for him as he struggles to breathe, coughs non-stop, and basically is confined to bed. And that's after his smoke has affected people around him. And I bet he expects non-smoking taxpayers to finance his medical treatment for a disease which could have been avoided.

Smokers: smoke all you like, but do it away from me and pay for your own treatment when the rot sets in.

As one poster said, JT doesn't only sell cigarettes. I do NOT buy any sort of drinks like green tea made by JT. I make it a point to check who the makers are.
Hotbox08 at 09:47 PM JST - 2nd August

Sounds just like the war waged between a bunch of cancer patients in the U.S. and big companies such as Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds. Frankly, it is a tough battle, but one that I hope will push towards the side of the nonsmoker. One way to stop this image of smoking is to ban it completely from movies. It is appalling that tobacco continues to be featured in movies, especially by Hollywood.
fleetwood77 at 06:08 AM JST - 3rd August

One of the best thing about being a smoker is knowing you won't have to end your days in a old folks home with non-smokers of the type one associates with the fascist comments on this page.

You don't get extra days of being young for not smoking , you get to be an nasty old twat lying neglected in your own piss in a ghastly care home because you outstayed your welcome.
Bizarro at 07:19 AM JST - 3rd August

You don't get extra days of being young for not smoking , you get to be an nasty old twat lying neglected in your own piss in a ghastly care home because you outstayed your welcome.

The young children of two of my friends who recently died in their early forties (both heavy smokers) might disagree. Or is that considered "old" already?
DS at 08:51 AM JST - 3rd August

It seems like six of one, half a dozen of the other to me. On the negative side, the health costs for smokers is higher than for others. On the plus side, they die younger so they don't drain the old age pension system as long as non-smokers.

Which is the more cost effective option....
TheQuestion at 10:11 AM JST - 3rd August

Tobacco is a legalized drug. So is alcohol. Both can kill. The difference is that alcohol fumes from the breath of the drunks don't kill, but second hand smoke could. Neither of the two are going to be banned anytime soon, as that would create an underground industry with more hazards than the status quo... Doubling or tripling the prices will.

You had me up until the last part. I smoke Dominican cigars a few times a month in the states and Cubans when I'm on business trips and the price of tobacco is already outrageously high. It's not an addiction for me (thats not denial thats me being practical) its a cultural thing that I indulge in as a hobby and between the rising taxes and the public restrictions it's becoming increasingly difficult for me and my abuelo to reminisce over a fine cigar.
Altria at 11:04 AM JST - 3rd August

The corporation has argued in Yokohama District Court that it has no case to answer because smokers are free to quit anytime, smoking is legal and cancer has multiple causes.

Exactly.
thedeath at 11:24 AM JST - 3rd August

agree with the article that "They have a long way to go."

however doing something is always better than doing nothing. thanks for this 3 people.

one very interesting way i have seen is this one

http://www.smoke-free.ca/warnings/Thailand%20-%20warnings.htm

http://www.albionmonitor.com/0205a/copyright/thaicigarettead.html

all tobacco box is requested to print a health warning both graphic and text that covers at least 50% of all sides. and it will be at the expend of the tobacco companies!

no expensive fancy campaign like japanese smart card system. no price increasing. from what i can remember, it is still around 100-120 yen a pack! they has been doing this for many year already. and that happen by the government willingly trying to stop the younger from start smoking.
TSRnow at 11:29 AM JST - 3rd August

People here talking about how they want their family free from smoke in restaurants but it's the mothers and fathers who are actually smoking in those places. It's really sick to see a mother beside her kindergarten kid, huffing and puffing.

I always choose the non-smoker seats for my family, but it's not completely sealed off, so some smoke must be seeping in. I can smell it.
Tahoochi at 01:12 PM JST - 3rd August

If the governments of ANY country (not just Japan) really cared more for our health, and less about the tobacco industry, then tobacco smoking would be illegal... and it should be.

noborito:

In addition we get the added benefit of watching you kill yourselves

...well that's a pretty nasty thing to say.
presto345 at 06:46 PM JST - 3rd August

TheQuestion

it's becoming increasingly difficult for me and my abuelo to reminisce over a fine cigar.

Yes, that is sad. There are those who can enjoy a smoke now and then without being addicted or polluting. But the restrictions and regulations are there to limit the damage done by and to the masses. You and the few don't fit in the equation, unfortunately.
sfjp330 at 03:21 AM JST - 4th August

Public smoking in businesses should be banned. We all know that second hand smoke can cause cancer and it's bad for you. Govenment generates substantical tax revenue from cigerattes, and that government saids money is more important then killing peoples lives. Can Japan change the way? I doubt it.