Kick the Habit? Money and Health the Main Reasons for Quitting Cigarettes in Japan

How Much is Too Much?

Smokers are becoming increasingly marginalized in Japan as health consciousness grows and laws to curb secondhand smoke take effect. On top of this, the financial burden of smoking is rising as tobacco taxes are increased in phases, beginning in 2026, as part of government measures to finance defense spending.

In January a survey on smoking habits was conducted by Overload, a company that publishes online information on heated tobacco products. The nationwide survey of 49,879 men and women aged 20 to 69 found that 22.9% were current smokers, 24.3% were former smokers, and 52.8% had never smoked. Among current smokers, nearly 60% said they smoked conventional cigarettes rather than heated tobacco products.

When asked at what price they would decide to quit smoking if cigarette prices continued to rise because of tax increases and price hikes, 18.5% of the respondents said ¥600 per pack, followed by 14.4% and 14.3% who mentioned ¥1,000 and ¥700, respectively. However, 5.3% said they would keep smoking no matter the price, suggesting a high level of nicotine dependence.

When former smokers were asked why they had quit, the most common reasons cited were the financial burden on the household (27.9%) and concern for their future health (27.2%). A relatively high percentage, at 18.4%, said they had quit after becoming ill.

Data Sources

• Survey on smoking and not smoking (Japanese) by Overload
• Data on tobacco taxes (Japanese) by the Ministry of Finance

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © PhotoAC.)