Division of Tobacco Policy Research

Members

Division Chief (protempore)

Fumihiko Wakao

Senior Researcher

Itsuro Yoshimi

Researcher

Tomoyasu Hirano

Visiting Researcher

Masako Kitada, Izumi Sezai, Kuninori Matsuo, Yumiko Mochizuki-Kobayashi

Research Assistant

Yuriko Nishikawa

Introduction

The death toll attributable to tobacco use is a manmade disaster worldwide; however, many countries have successfully shown that such death toll is avoidable with effective tobacco control regulations. Thus, to achieve a global standard for tobacco policies, our missions are research activities and advocacies based on the following four pillars: Monitoring and Evaluation, Development and Research of Practical Programs, Public Education and Information Services, and Promoting Policies and Networking.

Projects and research activities

• Through government commissioned projects, we collected information about the implementation status of FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) Parties. Analysis and evaluation were carried out by providing a study panel.

• We conducted participatory workshops with elementary school children on tobacco with respect to cancer education. Based on the results, we considered ways to continue helping to promote the “Tobacco Free Kids Japan” program. In 2015, we carried out test programs in Hakodate, Tokyo, and Kumamoto and reported the results in the 9th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Tobacco Control.

• We carried out a test trial of the quitline service program, which was considered appropriate to Japan's situation. The results are based on the efficient dissemination of quitline, which prepares the activities of semi-autonomous scheme-building intended for the workplace by private sectors. We registered the trademark of quitline (Figure 1) and started a scheme that combined supervision for private companies with permission to use the trademark.

• Through providing information and planning assistance to various societies, non-governmental organizations, and prefectural government departments related to tobacco, and so forth, we carried out networking and capacity development. This year, we contributed to reports on policy proposals, such as those by the Science Council of Japan and the Tobacco Control Medical-Dental Research Network.

Figure 1. Quitline Logo, registered trademark of the National Cancer Center