Japanese group mentalities in smoking regulations

Japanese tiny smoking areas at the train station

Do we need a regulation for smoking activities?  Of course, Yes.

But the biggest concern for smoking activities varies depending on the country.

Almost every place in Japan has a small smoking area, and there are ashtrays on the streets.

Japanese smoking regulation’s top priority is to keep public areas clean.

Japan is known for its cleanness on the streets.
We are very proud and try to keep our city clean, and you won’t see any cigarette butts on the street in Tokyo.  

Why?  Because Japanese people have such a group mentality, compared to other countries.We prioritize our public area’s cleanness more than we do each individual’s health.  

In Japan, you can smoke inside restaurants, bars, t-stations, or even airports.  However, you are not allowed to smoke outside of the specific smoking areas and throw cigarette butts on the street.  

If you walk on the street while smoking in Tokyo, everybody will stare at you with a confused face.  There is no way you can throw cigarette butts on the street in Tokyo, because that is an extremely shameful behavior for Japanese morale. 

In 2002, Japan had their very first smoking regulation act in public areas in Chiyoda-prefecture in Tokyo, which fines ¥2,000 (about $20) for violators.  Chiyoda-prefecture in Tokyo is a diverse place, which consists of big office buildings, college students and traditional Japanese art and music.  Although I went to one of the colleges in Chiyoda-prefecture in 2002 and saw many struggles among many students with this very first smoking regulation act, it seemed to be okay for Tokyo’s citizens to follow this regulation act, as a group mentality, “This is what it is”. 

Compare to the US, the number of smokers in Japan is bigger although it's a smaller country.  To be a smoker in Japan, you always need to be packed in tiny smoking areas and feel miserable.  The amount of second-hand smoke in the tiny smoking areas is beyond unhealthy.  It is obvious that smokers in Japan feel uncomfortable more and more, along with the price of cigarettes in Japan increasing more and more.  

Global tobacco elimination is happening in Japan too.