TOKYO, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Smoking rates for men and women in Japan continued to fall in 2022, with the help of a revised law to crack down on secondhand smoke, local media reported on Friday.
The male smoking rate fell 3.4 percentage points from the previous survey in 2019 to 25.4 percent, while the female smoking rate dropped 1.1 points to 7.7 percent, Kyodo News reported, citing a health ministry survey.
The revised health promotion law came into effect in April 2020, where smoking indoors are banned at many locations and businesses that allow indoor smoking must install separate spaces for smokers.
The survey showed the rate of tobacco use was highest among men in their 40s, at 34.6 percent, followed by 32.6 percent of men in their 50s and 29.9 percent of those in their 30s.
Among women, those in their 50s accounted for the largest group at 12.0 percent, while those in their 40s and 30s made up 11.6 percent and 9.0 percent respectively. ■
