Experts Urge Japan to Use Pictorial Warnings on Tobacco Packages

Tokyo, May 31 (Jiji Press)--With Sunday marking World No Tobacco Day designated by the World Health Organization, experts urge Japan to introduce pictorial warnings about the dangers of smoking on tobacco packages.

Many countries require cigarette packages to display images warning of health hazards related to smoking, such as a blackened lung. But there is no such requirement in Japan.

A survey by a team at Japan's health ministry has found that warning labels featuring images are more effective in discouraging smoking than text-only warnings.

The online survey, conducted in 2020 for 2,372 smokers in their teens to 70s, asked about their impressions of two types of text-only warning labels with different display sizes and three types of warnings with images, such as a dirty lung and an infant suffering from secondhand smoke, in addition to texts.

Only some 4 pct of respondents said the text-only warnings are "very effective" or "considerably effective" in discouraging smoking.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]