The company said that non-smoking periods will gradually be increased until the total smoking ban in the company takes effect, according to the report. The company said it would eliminate all smoking areas on its premises by October 2020. In addition, it said that employees would be forbidden from smoking outside on business.
The aim, the Japanese firm said, was to help improve employee health and hinder passive smoking, NHK reported.
This is not the first Japanese company to enforce smoke-free policies, according to the report. Seiko Epson banned smoking at work April 2018 and Olympus said it is working on eliminating all of its smoking areas by 2021.