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The Japanese metropolis of Osaka on Monday imposed a smoking ban on public streets as a part of efforts to change into extra visitor-friendly forward of this 12 months’s World Expo.
Round 160 international locations and areas are taking part in Expo 2025, the most recent version of an occasion held each 5 years in numerous world areas.
“The World Expo begins in April. We need to welcome many individuals from everywhere in the world, so we need to make Osaka a metropolis the place folks really feel protected with smoke-free streets,” mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama stated in early January.
Earlier than Monday, smoking was banned in six zones together with the realm round Osaka station. This has been expanded to the entire metropolis and violators face a superb of 1,000 yen ($6.40).
Native laws already ban smoking whereas strolling in most locations in Japan, however opposition from some lawmakers has prevented strict nationwide legal guidelines.
From April, the broader Osaka area will prohibit smoking in eateries with seating areas bigger than 30 sq. meters (320 sq. ft), though lighting up in a separate house, akin to a smoking room, is allowed.
Present nationwide legal guidelines ban smoking in institutions with eating areas over 100 sq. meters.
Expo 2025 has struggled with sluggish ticket gross sales and public concern over the development price range.
About 7.5 million tickets had been bought by early January for the six-month occasion—half the organizers’ goal.
The capital outlawed smoking in all eating places in 2018, in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.
Smoking open air stays allowed in some Tokyo districts.
Japan’s central and native governments earn a yearly whole of round two trillion yen ($13 billion) in cigarette tax income.
The nationwide authorities additionally owns a one-third stake in Japan Tobacco, the world’s third largest tobacco firm.
Tobacco use in Japan has been falling according to a broader world pattern, with the ratio of people who smoke standing at 15.7 % in 2023.
© 2025 AFP
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Japan’s Osaka bans avenue smoking forward of Expo 2025 (2025, January 27)
retrieved 27 January 2025
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