Over 70 percent of Japan's 47 governors think tougher measures are needed to reduce passive smoking, but less than half support the government's proposal to basically ban indoor smoking at restaurants, a Kyodo News survey shows.
The results of the survey, released Saturday, show that 35 of the 45 governors who responded to it support revising the Health Promotion Law, which leaves measures to halt passive smoking up to the "efforts" of the people managing the buildings affected.
The health ministry wants to ban indoor smoking at all restaurants except small bars, but has yet to submit a bill to the Diet because of heavy resistance from Liberal Democratic Party politicians who want to broaden the scope of exceptions.