More than half of the smokers responding to an online survey said a plan to increase the tax on tobacco will have no effect on their intake.
The government will raise the tobacco tax by 1 yen per cigarette beginning Tuesday.
The survey, conduced by Infoseek Japan K.K., found that only 12 percent of smokers feel the tax increase is a reason to quit smoking.
The company said about 800 people aged between 20 and 59 had responded to the survey as of Saturday, 42 percent of them smokers.
The survey shows that 71 percent of smokers are opposed to the tax increase, while 63 percent of nonsmokers favor the measure.
Some 36 percent of smokers said they will reduce the amount they smoke after the tax increase, while 52 percent said their habit will not be affected.
The survey found 56 percent of smokers have attempted to quit smoking at some point in the past. Some listed health concerns, while some female respondents cited pregnancy as a reason for trying to give up.