Japan's Smoking Rate Drops Below 20 Percent

A new survey has found that the smoking rates in Japan have dropped down below 20 percent and the price hike in cigarettes may be the reason behind it. The proportion of adult smokers stood at 19.7 percent as of May, down 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier and the lowest rate since the survey started in 1965. The number of smokers in Japan stands at about 20.6 million, according to the study published Wednesday, which is conducted by cigarette ...