Dear Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa,
In April 2008, Kanagawa Prefecture created a plan for a law to ban smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars, to protect people from secondhand smoke. Apparently, due to strong opposition from restaurant and bar owners, this ordinance has been watered down and the latest proposal requires either the creation of separate smoking areas or, rather enigmatically, the "effort" to prevent passive smoking. While I welcome any steps toward protecting the rights of nonsmokers to breathe clean air, I urge you to reconsider a complete smoking ban in public places for three reasons: public health, business profit, and the enjoyment of Japan's fine cuisine.
The health reasons for a smoking ban are incontrovertible. In 2003, Japan's Health Promotion Law called for efforts to protect people from secondhand smoke. Since then, many taxis across Japan have banned smoking. The Keihin Kyuko Railway has banned smoking in all its stations. Japan Tobacco has an admirable campaign trying to remind smokers how their habit affects others and to remember good smoking manners. But really, there has been scant progress made in protecting the vast majority of Japan's residents — the nonsmokers — from passive smoking. If Japan was serious about protecting people from secondhand smoke it would join the long and growing list of countries around the world that have banned smoking in all restaurants and bars.