Smoking is bad for your health, but despite this, more than 8 million smokers die each year as a result of smoking. Of these, 7 million are direct smokers and 1.3 million are passive smokers. The data is from the month of July 2023 released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Also according to the WHO, smoking is responsible for the main causes of morte, disease and poverty around the globe. There are 1.3 billion smokers in the world. In Japan, on average 20% of the population is a smoker.
The use of cigarette may also interfere with the job. Many companies prefer not to hire smokers because of the number of times they take time off work to smoke. But a Japanese company did something different: it offered six extra days of vacation to non-smoking employees to compensate for the break offered to smokers. The initiative aims to combat smoking.
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Non-smoking initiative
An advertising agency company in Japan, when it launched the initiative in 2018, had 30 smokers in the company. Some went out around seven to ten times during work hours to smoke. To make the decision to benefit non-smokers, the Department1TP28Human Resources Department of the site realized that each smoker takes an average of 15 minutes to smoke each cigarette.
With this, the company concluded that absences throughout the working day represent less production, so they decided to reward those who work longer by giving six more days of vacation compared to those who smoke.
In some Tokyo streets Smoking is prohibited, but is permitted inside many bars and restaurants. With the initiative in the company, four employees soon became ex-smokers.
4 interesting facts about smokers in Japan
1 - Men smoke more than women
The average for Japanese men who smoke is 30%, while for women it is 10%.
2 - Smoking age
In Japan, the Minimum age for smoking it is 20 years, as well as for the use of alcoholic beverages. But despite this, the number of young people who smoke is smaller than that of the elderly.
3 - Places for smokers
Smoking is prohibited on the streets of Japan, but this cannot lead to someone's arrest. However, there are specific areas for smoking, especially in busier places like train stations. In restaurants it is common to smoke where alcoholic drinks are served, such as bars or small restaurants called izakaya. In some coffee shops there are specific areas on the inside for smokers. But in common restaurants it is not always easy to find these areas.
4 - Price of cigarettes
Cigarettes in Japan cost an average of 460 yen. They are usually sold in convenience stores. It is also possible to buy from cigarette vending machines that are common in Tokyo. To do this, it is necessary to present “cartao of residence”.
