Japanese smokers represent 19.3 per cent of the adult population a decline of 0.6 percentage points representing 570,000 people, according to an annual survey by Japan Tobacco.

Although the percentage of adult males who smoke remains high, the male smoking rate fell 1.3 percentage points to 29.7 per cent. The percentage of female smokers was nearly stable, up 0.1 point to 9.7 per cent. The smoking population is 20.27 million, according to the sampling conducted in May.
“The decrease is due to various factors, including the aging of society, growing awareness about the health risks associated with smoking, tightening of smoking-related regulations and the tax and price hike,” JT said.