The World Health Organization issued a report in February on the global tobacco epidemic, urging countries to enforce effective smoking bans in public places.
Despite recent moves to extend nonsmoking, for example in Tokyo taxis, Japan does not have any legal ban on smoking in public places, including eateries and bars.
And largely because of vested interests in the tobacco industry and the positive cultural perception of smoking in Japan, the introduction of a new law against lighting up in public places is unlikely to be passed anytime soon, according to experts.