![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arashitranslation
Measures towards “passive smoking”
Facing Tokyo Olympics・Paralympics in 2020
regarding that issue, the discussion is getting heated.
This is a sticker obligatory to be displayed in facilities such as restaurants in Hyogo Prefecture
the sticker calling for “prevention of passive smoking”.
According to the regulations of Hyogo Prefecture, before the customers enter the shop
there should be signage indicating the shop being “Non-smoking, Smoking permitted in designated areas only, Smoking”
there is such request to the shops.
The government has compiled a proposal for “in principle total ban on indoor smoking” in Japan as a whole,
On the other hand, now, there are various opinions.
There were such scenes.
This was Japan in 1980,
around 30 years before.
There were ashtrays on platforms of stations,
where many people smoked there.
There were also “smoking space” in the waiting rooms of hospitals.
Even in the National Diet Building.
The appearance of a member of House smoking during the meeting of the Committee on Budget…
It was an era which such scenes were “ordinary”.
However, after that “smoking harms the smokers themselves” and
“there are health hazards caused by passive smoking”
have become scientifically proven.
“Passive smoking” means,
people around the smokers inhale the smokes of tobacco.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare states that,
there is a high risk for passive smoking to cause
diseases such as “lung cancer”, “cerebral stroke” and “sudden infant death syndrome”.
In regard of this, Japan has implemented the “Health Promotion Act” in 2003,
in which “facilities used by many people” such as schools, hospitals, and restaurants,
the operators of which are requested to set up measures preventing passive smoking.
Nowadays, separating smoking area and non-smoking area
is adopted by more facilities such as restaurants, the “smoking permitted in designated areas only” measure is in progress.
However, now it is just the operators “make efforts” to implement such measure,
there is no “penalty”.
Now, what the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare considers is,
a proposal of “ban on smoking with penalty”.
In details, for facilities such as schools and hospitals, not only in the buildings
but a blanket ban on smoking will be imposed on the premises.
Such as restaurants and hotel lobby
for places where many people gather “indoor ban on smoking in principle” is proposed.
Only in “smoking room” where the smoke does not leak out
smoking cigarettes will be allowed.
This is not “making effort” but “obligation”,
in case of violation, to the facilities and individual,
“penalty” is also considered.
The background of considering such stringent regulations is,
there is a trend in the world for “smoking-free”.
IOC, International Olympic Committee,
promotes “Olympics without tobacco”.
From 2008 Beijing Olympics on, all cities having hosted the Olympics Games,
introduced laws and regulations that obligate “ban on smoking with penalties”.
As in Rio de Janeiro that hosted the Olympics Games last year,
there was law on blanket “ban on smoking” within buildings,
even outside the buildings ban on smoking was applicable under roof, there were such stringent regulations.
As for Tokyo and Japan that is going to host the 2020 Olympics・Paralympics,
this is an issue that cannot be avoided.
However, as for the proposal of “ban on smoking with penalty”
within all buildings,
industries such as food service industry express their great worry.
They claim that ban on smoking will “make the regular customers not visit”.
And, small shops “don’t have either place or money to make the smoking room”
there is such opinion.
Furthermore,
The Health, Labor and Welfare Division of Liberal Democratic Party of Japan also expressed opposition to the proposal.
“To take issues such as Olympics as the trigger to pursue is a problem”
“It is important to make measures on permitting smoking in designated areas (not ban on smoking) the leading measure in the world”
“One should not be penalised by his flavour”
There were such opinion.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is aiming to submit a bill to the current Diet session.
Source: News Zeroイチメン (http://www.ntv.co.jp/zero/ichimen/2017/02/post-335.html)