Abstract
Objective: The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control policy to prevent passive
smoking requires a full ban on smoking in certain public areas. However, in Japan, no-smoking ordinance was
established only in the Kanagawa and Hyogo prefectures. Therefore, a survey was conducted to compare the
awareness of health damage caused to passive smokers between Japanese and American population.
Method: A survey was conducted from February 3, 2015 to February 12, 2015 targeting 1,000 Japanese and 1,000
Americans.
Results: In most restaurants, bars, and other public places in Japan, a separate smoking area is more common
(65%, p ＜ 0.001) than a complete ban on smoking (11%, p ＜ 0.001). On the other hand, in the United States,
no-smoking areas (60%, p ＜ 0.001) are more common than separate smoking areas (28%, p ＜ 0.001). In Japan,
the knowledge of health damage caused by passive smoking is lower than that in the United States; however,
the interest level was higher. Seventy-nine percent of both Japanese and the United States respondents expected
a no-smoking ordinance at the Tokyo Olympic, Paralympic games.
Conclusion: No-smoking areas are common in restaurants, bars, and other similar places in the United States.
However, in Japan, separate smoking areas are common. Compared with the United States, in Japan, the concern
about health damage caused by passive smoking is higher but the level of knowledge is lower; therefore, it
is necessary to strengthen the transmission of information in Japan about health damage caused by passive
smoking.
