In November 2024, Quit Like Sweden, together with Institute for New Era Strategy (INES) Japan, brought together national and international public health experts at an event in Tokyo, who said Japan could save millions of lives if it embraces innovative and proven tobacco harm reduction measures.
The event featured a series of discussions with harm reduction and public health experts, including Dr. Fredrik Nystrom, Professor Marewa Glover, Professor David Sweanor, Professor Kazumasa Oguro, Dr. Kenji Shibuya and Dr. Hiroya Kumamaru.
Professor Kazumasa Oguro, an expert in social security and fiscal policy, said: “Regulations on tobacco products in Japan differ significantly from those in countries like Sweden, and there are limited alternatives and policy incentives available for smokers who wish to quit and their families. As a member of the INES Harm Reduction Study Group, I hope to see further discussions on harm reduction expand in Japan as well.”
Professor David Sweanor, an international public health expert who focuses much of his tobacco and nicotine related efforts on risk reduction strategies, said: “Japan has been a success story in reducing smoking rates since 2015 by more than 50% when it introduced heated tobacco products as an alternative to smokers.”
Japan can now successfully learn from the Swedish experience, because the evidence from Sweden is compelling, and the need for action is urgent. To achieve this, Japan must adopt policies that make all alternatives to smoking accessible, acceptable, and affordable to people who smoke. Smokers are often discriminated against for their addiction, however like all other members of our society, they also deserve the right to healthier choices.
Suely Castro
Director, Quit Like Sweden
In Sweden, while one in four adults in use nicotine daily—a rate comparable to the rest of Europe—the country experiences significantly better health outcomes.
Ms Castro said: “Sweden’s success in reducing smoking rates is unparalleled. In Sweden, the cancer incidence is 41% lower than the European average, and smoking-related deaths are less than half of those in 24 of the other 26 EU countries. This stark contrast underscores the effectiveness of Sweden’s strategies in mitigating the health impacts associated with nicotine use.”
“We have the ability to save millions of lives in Japan, and millions more around the world, just by replicating a model that has already worked so well for Sweden,” Ms Castro said. “And there’s no better time to start that conversation than now.”
