The government said Tuesday it will sign the first global treaty aimed at reducing the health hazards from smoking.
The signing will take place Wednesday at the U.N. headquarters in New York, government officials said.
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was adopted last May during an assembly of the World Health Organization.
The Cabinet will submit the international pact to the Diet for ratification during the current legislative session, which runs through June 16, the officials said.
The treaty requires tobacco companies to print health warnings that occupy at least 30 percent of cigarette packaging. It obliges signatory nations to take steps to prevent people under the legal smoking age from being able to buy cigarettes from vending machines.