Report Confirms Smoking Is Linked to Stroke and Other Diseases, Calls for Indoor Smoking Bans

According to Japanese media reports, on August 31 Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare released a report on the health effects of smoking, the Tobacco White Paper. This is the country’s first revision in 15 years, and for the first time it evaluates the causal relationship between smoking and disease in four stages.

The report concludes that smoking has a “definite” causal relationship with diseases including cancer, stroke, myocardial infarction, and diabetes. It also states that Japan’s measures to prevent secondhand smoke exposure are at the “lowest level” globally, and says that steps such as a comprehensive indoor smoking ban are needed.

It is understood that Japan’s Tobacco White Paper was first published in 1987, and this is its fourth release.

The white paper assessed the health effects of smoking across various diseases. Regarding the impact on smokers themselves, it found definite links with conditions including cancers such as lung cancer, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and periodontal disease. The report also states that smoking during pregnancy definitely affects outcomes such as premature birth and fetal growth restriction.

Regarding secondhand smoke, taking into account factors such as the National Cancer Center Japan’s increased assessment of lung cancer risk, the report emphasizes its negative impact on health.

For diseases such as stroke and myocardial infarction, based on research findings from within Japan, the report says there is a definite risk. It concludes that secondhand smoke definitely has an impact on diseases including lung cancer, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Its effect on sudden infant death syndrome is also considered very clear, and the report calls for greater attention to the issue.

In addition, the report points out shortcomings in Japan’s secondhand smoke prevention measures. As of 2014, 49 countries had implemented comprehensive indoor smoking bans in all public places. In contrast, Japan only stipulates in the Health Promotion Act that efforts should be made to advance secondhand smoke prevention measures. The report therefore recommends that “100% smoke-free indoor environments should be pursued.”