With the Swedes now officially smoke-free, leading public health experts are calling on Japan to take bold steps and follow Sweden’s proven model to save millions of lives.
Last week, Sweden announced its new smoking rates, with prevalence across the country reducing to 5.3%. Remarkably, among those who have benefited from Swedish policies during their entire life, it reduced to 4.5%.
“This isn’t just Sweden’s victory—it’s a proof of concept for the entire world,” said Suely Castro, founder of Quit Like Sweden. “By making healthier alternatives Accessible, Acceptable, and Affordable, Sweden has dramatically reduced smoking-related deaths and illnesses. Japan can achieve the same transformation, and the time to act is now.”
Ms Castro’s comments follow a Tokyo event held by Quit Like Sweden earlier this month in partnership with the Institute for New Era Strategy (INES), which brought together global and Japanese experts to discuss how Japan can adapt Sweden’s groundbreaking tobacco harm reduction strategies.
Japan has already made progress, reducing smoking rates by over 50% since introducing heated tobacco products in 2015.
Derek Yach, past WHO senior executive and President of the FSFW, commended Japanese smokers, heated tobacco companies, and the government on “showing it’s possible to cut smoking rates faster through access to tobacco harm reduction than through traditional WHO led tobacco control measures.”
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.”
“Smokers, like everyone else, deserve the right to healthier choices,” said Ms. Castro. “We have the ability to save millions of lives in Japan by replicating Sweden’s model. It’s Japan’s turn to lead the way in Asia.”