Annual Report 2020

Division of Tobacco Policy Research

Fumihiko Wakao, Tomoyasu Hirano

Introduction

 The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Cigarette smoking remains the single leading cause of preventable mortality and causes a high morbidity burden. Thus, to successfully implement tobacco control policies at a high level, 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.

 Especially, those activities are important because the Japanese Government has revised the Health Promotion Act and it entered into force in April, 2020.

The Team and What We Do

1. Through government commissioned projects, we collected information about the implementation status of FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) Parties.

2. We developed a training program of cessation support for nurses and disseminated the program to several Prefectural Nursing Associations.

3. We continued a scheme that combined supervision for private companies with permission to use the trademark for the quitline service program.

4. In order to promote public awareness of the revised Health Promotion Act, we developed materials to explain adverse health effects from exposure to tobacco smoke and an overview of the revision of the Act.

5. We provided technical support and advice to local governments, relevant organizations and associations, and private sector parties that promote tobacco control measures.

Future Prospects

 Through providing information and assistance to various societies, companies, and local government departments related to tobacco, we will continue to carried out networking and capacity development.

List of papers published in 2020

Journal

1. Hirano T, Shobayashi T, Takei T, Wakao F. Exposure Assessment of Environmental Tobacco Aerosol from Heated Tobacco Products: Nicotine and PM Exposures under Two Limited Conditions. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17:2020

2. Craig LV, Yoshimi I, Fong GT, Meng G, Yan M, Mochizuki Y, Tabuchi T, Thrasher JF, Xu SS, Quah ACK, Ouimet J, Sansone G, Chung-Hall J. Awareness of Marketing of Heated Tobacco Products and Cigarettes and Support for Tobacco Marketing Restrictions in Japan: Findings from the 2018 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Japan Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17:2020

3. Xu SS, Meng G, Yan M, Gravely S, Quah ACK, Ouimet J, O'Connor RJ, Sutanto E, Yoshimi I, Mochizuki Y, Tabuchi T, Fong GT. Reasons for Regularly Using Heated Tobacco Products among Adult Current and Former Smokers in Japan: Finding from 2018 ITC Japan Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17:2020

4. Thompson ME, Boudreau C, Quah ACK, Ouimet J, Li G, Yan M, Mochizuki Y, Yoshimi I, Fong GT. Survey Methods of the 2018 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Japan Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 17:2020