[Perception of foreign residents toward Japanese smoking habits]

A questionnaire written in English was developed for a survey of attitude of foreign residents toward smoking in Japan. The questionnaire was mailed to 69 foreign companies and 101 foreign language schools and also distributed to foreign residents on a US military base and at Christian churches. Responses from 342 persons (116 female, 221 male, and 5 sex undefined) contributed to this research. More than half (64%) of the respondents were from North America. When classified according to smoking habits, 72 persons were smokers (21%) and 78 were ex-smokers (23%). The subjects felt the biggest difference in smoking habits to be at "restaurants", and expressed that they would most like to see smoking prohibited at "restaurants". Almost all subjects (89%) thought that, compared to smoking habits in their own countries, Japanese were "markedly worse" or "worse". The main reasons why Japanese smoking habits were different from their countries were perceived to be "lack of education or knowledge" (31%) and "lack of legal restrictions" (28%). Half of the female subjects thought that the number of smokers in the next decade in Japan will be "markedly increased" or "increased". The subjects answered that education was the most effective means to prevent young people from smoking and also the best way to reduce smoking in society.