[Illegal sale of tobacco to minors in Japan]

"The Act for Prohibition of Minors from Smoking" which was enacted in 1990 in Japan, states that a parent who tacitly permits smoking by his/her child, and those who sell tobacco to minors knowing that it is for their own use shall be punished. It is, however, unlikely that retailers is ascertaining the age of buyers who appear to be minors and whether the tobacco is for his/her own use. Purchase of tobacco by minors was tested at tobacco retail shops in Tokyo and Omiya city, a suburban city near Tokyo. A 17-year-old senior high school girl in Omiya and a 14-year-old junior high school boy in Tokyo, both dressed in school uniforms, were asked to buy a pack of Mild Seven, one of the most popular brands of domestic cigarettes in Japan. Both students were instructed to tell their age honestly if they were asked, and if asked, they should say that they themselves would smoke it. In Omiya, among 18 shops attempted, the student was refused tobacco, because of being a minor, at only one shop. At one shop, the student was told to buy tobacco from a vending machine. In Tokyo, at 19 out of 20 shops attempted, the student was able to buy tobacco without any problems. At the only shop where he had problems, he was instructed to buy it from the vending machine belonging to the shop. Although prohibition of sale of tobacco to minors is important, it is clear that such prohibition is by no means effective without a strict enforcement system by both the health sector as well as the police.