National / Science & Health Aug 9, 2020
The smoking rate for men has been falling since peaking at 48.4 percent in 2001.
National / Science & Health Jun 2, 2020
Pandemic and new app give Osaka city's smokers incentive to kick the habit
Toyonaka in Osaka Prefecture, which launched the program last year, has seen a roughly threefold increase in users since the pandemic began.
National | Regional voices: Chubu May 15, 2020
Nagoya smokers struggle to light up after station shuts smoking area
People face a ¥2,000 fine if they violate a ban on smoking near Nagoya Station.
National Apr 1, 2020
Overshadowed by pandemic, Japan's ban on indoor smoking goes into effect
A law banning indoor smoking in principle took full effect across the nation on Wednesday as part of an effort to protect people from passive smoking going into the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The revised health promotion law bans smoking at restaurants, hotels and ...
World / Science & Health Mar 28, 2020
Vaping could compound health risks tied to new coronavirus, U.S. FDA says
Vaping may leave users with underlying health conditions at higher risk of serious complications if they contract the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. "People with underlying health issues, such as heart or lung problems, may have ...
Commentary / Japan Mar 21, 2020
Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?
by Oscar Boyd
How has Japan seemingly escaped the spread of the coronavirus when other countries have suffered so badly?
World / Social Issues Feb 16, 2020
Saudi women smoke in public to 'complete' their newfound freedoms
"Rima" settles into a chair at an upscale Riyadh cafe, looks around carefully and, seeing no one she recognizes, drags on her electronic cigarette and exhales a cloud of smoke. "I feel that smoking in public is a part of exercising my newly won freedoms. ...
World / Science & Health Jan 30, 2020
Quitting smoking reverses lung cell damage, study says, even after decades
Smokers can effectively turn back time in their lungs by kicking the habit, with healthy cells emerging to replace some of their tobacco-damaged and cancer-prone ones, a new study shows. Smokers have long been told their risk of developing diseases like lung cancer will fall ...
National / Science & Health Jan 15, 2020
Low-income people in Japan more likely to smoke, health ministry report reveals
Smoking rates among low-income people exceed those of their higher-income counterparts, the health ministry said in a national health and nutrition survey report Tuesday. The survey showed that one in three men with an annual income of less than ¥2 million smokes. "Health disparities remain in ...
Commentary / World Dec 22, 2019
U.S. prefers mass hysteria to sound policy on vaping
by Joe Nocera
Protecting kids from nicotine shouldn't matter more than saving the lives of millions of smokers.
Business Dec 20, 2019
Instagram bans 'influencers' from promoting vaping and tobacco products and guns
Social media "influencers" will no longer be allowed to promote vaping, tobacco products and weapons on Instagram as the Facebook-owned platform doubles down on its existing ad policies banning the advertisements of such products. Product endorsements are common on Instagram and celebrities and others with ...