Smoking rates in Japan continued to decline in 2022, according to a health ministry survey, highlighting an increase in health consciousness and the impact of a revised law to address secondhand smoke.
The smoking rate among males decreased by 3.4 percentage points from the previous survey in 2019, reaching 25.4%. The smoking rate among females also dropped by 1.1 points, reaching 7.7%.
The survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare defines smokers as individuals in their 20s and older who stated that they either “smoke every day” or “sometimes have days where I smoke.”
For male smokers, the 2022 figures indicate a decrease from 1 in 2 individuals in 2001 to 1 in 4, when 48.4% of men were smokers.
The revised health promotion law, which went into effect in April 2020, includes measures such as the prohibition of indoor smoking in many locations and the requirement for establishments that permit indoor smoking to designate separate areas for smokers.
The survey revealed that the highest rate of tobacco use was among men in their 40s, at 34.6%, followed by 32.6% for men in their 50s and 29.9% for those in their 30s.
Among women, the largest percentage was found among those in their 50s, accounting for 12.0%, while those in their 40s comprised 11.6%. Women in their 30s accounted for 9.0%.
Although smoking rates were particularly high among individuals in their 30s to 50s, almost all age groups saw a decline compared to the 2019 survey.