The government intends to expand subsidies for eateries that voluntarily set up smoking rooms to include establishments run by individuals that do not hire employees in a bid to promote efforts to separate smoking areas, according to sources.
The initiative is in response to the enactment of the revised Health Promotion Law in July, which was designed to strengthen measures against passive smoking.
Establishments eligible for subsidies will include izayaka pubs, small Japanese diners, bars and other eating and drinking establishments run only by individuals or families, the sources said.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will compile an outline stating conditions for recipients and the amount of the subsidy. The government plans to start providing the subsidies by the end of this fiscal year.
The government has already subsidized the cost of setting up smoking rooms in eateries owned by individuals that employ staff.
Under the current system, the government covers two-thirds -- up to 1 million yen -- of the entire cost.
The law will take full effect in April 2020 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the same year. However, Japan still lags behind other nations when it comes to measures to prevent passive smoking. This appears to have pushed the government to take the latest move.
The revised law, in principle, banned indoor smoking at facilities that are used by many people.
However, existing eating and drinking establishments can be exempted from the smoking ban if their customer seating space is 100 square meters or less and they are run by individuals or are small-to-midsize companies with a capital of 50 million yen or less.
Regulations under the revised law were eased from the initial proposal in response to some ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who had sought consideration for owners of small establishments.
According to rankings by the World Health Organization regarding activities toward a smoking ban, Japan is at the lowest of four levels. Even after the law goes into effect, Japan's rating will only be raised by one level.
The government intends to catch up with global standards by expanding the scope of eateries subject to subsidies.
Under the revised law, newly opened eateries must choose to totally prohibit smoking indoors or set up a smoking room. The law imposes stricter restrictions on newly opened businesses than on existing ones, making it harder for operators to open new dining establishments.
Taking this into consideration, the government is also considering introducing subsidies for newly opened eateries to set up smoking rooms.
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