Japan Tobacco Inc., threatened by increasing public animosity against smoking, said Friday it will launch a campaign on television and in newspapers to encourage smokers to be more considerate.
In the campaign, which runs from Sunday to the end of this month, JT will apologize to the public for its insufficient efforts in the past to encourage smokers to have better manners, saying, "We would say at the beginning, 'Sorry.' "
The ads point out the danger of walking with a lit cigarette, saying, "The hand holding a lit cigarette is the same height as a child's face," the firm said.
JT said that because the ads were made with nonsmokers in mind, the campaign may anger smokers.
Some smokers are now feeling pressure to quit because of growing municipal bans, including by one Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, against smoking on the streets.