Editor,—The frequency and duration of tobacco-related actions, including cigarette smoking and handling of cigarettes or packs, and purchasing, were measured in 94 episodes of eight series of one-hour television dramas broadcast in Japan by three nationwide commercial stations in 1995 and 1996. These dramas mainly targeted a young audience. The role and sex of smokers and whether their tobacco-related actions had a link with the storyline were also recorded. Tobacco-related scenes that included explicit dialogue regarding smoking or tobacco, or that explained any situation, were …