News analysis
Japan: streets unsafe as machines prey on children
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Tobacco control advocates concerned with youth access issues should dread the negative utopia where underage smokers purchase cigarettes almost anytime and anywhere. Sadly, such a utopia exists in Japan where over 500 000 cigarette vending machines generate over 40% of the total sales of cigarettes (1997 figures).
| Figure Removed (Available Only in the Full Text) |
Although most shopkeepers in Japan will willingly sell tobacco products directly to minors, they do not need to. Just outside the ubiquitous convenience stores and supermarkets, on virtually every urban street corner, and even at unattended locations on rural highways, tobacco vending machines give young people unlimited opportunity to buy tobacco products with no one watching.
This unrestricted access brings predictable results. The legal minimum
age for the purchase of tobacco in Japan is 20 years. However, survey
statistics published by the Japanese Ministry of Health last November
indicate high rates of underage smoking via several indicators. Most
notably, 19% of 15 to 20 year old men, and
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