Japan tardy in preventing passive smoking

Ministry unveils amendment bill

進まぬ日本の受動喫煙防止対策 

厚労省が罰則付き健康増進法改正案公表


Health risks caused by passive smoking or inhaling of tobacco fumes from others pose serious concern in Japan as in many other countries. Kota Katanoda, chief of the Division of Cancer Statistics Integration of the Center for Cancer Control and Information Services (CIS) at the National Cancer Center Japan, reported in May 2016 that “15,000 people die annually in Japan due to diseases caused by passive smoking”. On March 1 this year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare unveiled a draft bill on amendment of the Health Promotion Act aimed to beef it up with penalty for breach of anti-passive smoking provisions.

 他人のたばこの煙を吸わされる受動喫煙による健康被害が深刻な問題になっている。昨年5月、国立がん研究センター、がん対策情報センター室の片野田耕太がん統計・総合解析研究部長は「日本では受動喫煙により、年間1万5000人が死亡している」と述べている。こうした状況を踏まえて厚生労働省は3月1日、受動喫煙防止策を罰則付きに強化する健康増進法改正案の骨子を公表した。

 

  The present law enforced in 2003 requires the managers of public facilities such as schools, hospitals, theaters and restaurants to “take necessary steps to prevent passive smoking.” However, it has no binding power as it does not penalize violations. The proposed amendment sets penalties for wrongdoers. The draft bill reads, “In the case of serious offenses, managers of the designated facilities shall pay a maximum of 500,000 yen and persons who smoked there shall pay a maximum of 300,000 yen in correctional fine.” The government submitted the amendment bill during the last Diet (parliament) session.

  2003年に施行された国民の健康増進法は受動喫煙について、学校、病院、劇場、飲食店などの施設管理者は受動喫煙を防止するため、「必要な措置を講ずるよう努めなければならない」と努力義務にとどまり、強制力がないものだ。今回の改正案では「悪質な場合、施設管理者に最大50万円、たばこを吸った本人に同30万の過料を科す」との罰則規定を設けた。政府は先の国会中にこの改正案を提出した。

 

 The British medical journal Lancet reported six years ago that an estimated 600,000 people died of passive smoking-related diseases all over the world in 2004. This clearly indicates that health damage caused by passive smoking is a major social issue in many countries including Japan. In this situation, a comprehensive indoor smoking ban has been put into force in the United States (New York State), the United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil. Similarly, China, Russia, South Korea, France and Germany have banned smoking in the premises of public facilities.

  6年前に英国の医学誌「ランセット」が報じたところでは、04年時点で受動喫煙を原因とする推定死亡者数は世界全体で60万に上るとされているように、受動喫煙による健康被害は我が国のみならず各国の大きな社会問題になっている。こうした中、米国(ニューヨーク州)、英国、カナダ、ブラジルなどでは受動喫煙対策として全面的な屋内禁煙が実施され、中国、ロシア、韓国、フランス、ドイツでは敷地内禁煙がなされている施設もある。

 

  In Japan, however, prevention of passive smoking is not making much progress. Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, deputy director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), made a bitter statement during his visit to Japan on April 7. He said, “Japan’s initiatives are outdated.” Among Japan’s municipalities, anti-passive smoking ordinances with penal provisions were enforced only in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2010 and then in Hyogo Prefecture in 2013. A group made up of 133 insurance companies petitioned Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike for a similar ordinance in September 2016.

しかし、日本では去る4月7日来日した世界保健機構(WHO)のアサモア・バー事務局次長が「日本の対策は時代遅れだ」と苦言を呈したように、受動喫煙対策は思うように進んでいないのが実情だ。地方自治体レベルでは、神奈川県が10年に、兵庫県が13年にそれぞれ罰則規定を盛り込んだ受動喫煙防止条例を施行。東京都では昨年9月、133の保険団体が小池都知事に東京都の受動喫煙防止条例をつくるよう請願している。

 

  The proposed amendment to the Health Promotion Act was aimed to trigger a national debate on the government’s initiative to ban passive smoking. However, the amendment bill drew criticism from some lawmakers within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who said its provisions are “too rigid”.  As a result, the bill failed to be enacted during the last Diet session which adjourned on June 18. It seems the day when no one suffers from passive smoking in Japan is still far away.

今回公表された健康増進法改正案は、受動喫煙防止対策を国全体のレベルに引き上げようとするものだ。与党自民党内にはこの改正案について「厳しすぎる」との批判もあり、法案が今国会で通ることはなかった。日本から受動喫煙がなくなるのはまだ遠い話のようだ。

Written by Yuto Yawata (八幡侑斗)


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