Cigarette Sales in Japan Fall to 100 Billion Due to Heated Tobacco Growth
According to industry data cited by Japan Today, cigarette sales in Japan fell below 100 billion sticks for the first time in decades in 2020 as more smokers switched to heated tobacco products. Data from the Tobacco Institute of Japan showed that cigaret
According to industry data reported by "Today Japan", as more and more smokers accept heated tobacco products, cigarette sales in Japan fell below 100 billion sticks in 2020 for the first time in decades.<\/span><\/div>
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According to data from the Japan Tobacco Research Institute, cigarette sales in the year ending in March fell by 16.3% compared to the previous year, reaching a record low of 98.8 billion sticks, the lowest level since comparable data became available in fiscal 1990.<\/span><\/div>
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This figure is more than a 70% decline from the peak sales of 348.3 billion sticks in fiscal 1996.<\/span><\/div>
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Surveys show that in 2019, 27.1% of men and 7.6% of women smoked regularly, down from 29% and 8.1% the previous year, respectively.<\/span><\/div>
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In 2020, Japanese smokers purchased 41.3 billion sticks of heated tobacco products, accounting for about 40% of cigarette sales.<\/span><\/div>
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Industry officials attribute the growing popularity of heated tobacco products to the Covid-19 pandemic. While lockdowns created more opportunities for smoking at home, many remote workers chose heated tobacco products to avoid releasing smoke in their homes or on balconies.<\/span><\/div>
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In April, Japan banned smoking in government buildings, restaurants, hotel lobbies, and workplaces.<\/span><\/div>
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In May of this year, Philip Morris International CEO Jacek Olczak stated that the company expects to stop selling combustible cigarettes in Japan within the next 10 to 15 years. <\/span><\/div>
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Due to the decline in combustible product sales, Japan Tobacco, which saw a drop in revenue and profits in 2020, hopes to restore performance by launching a new heated tobacco product this summer.<\/span><\/div>
