'Be careful not to smoke too much ...'

[Taro Toporific]

Japan to Strengthen Cigarette Warning, Nihon Keizai Reports
July 2 (Bloomberg)-- Japan will as early as next year strengthen the health warning
on cigarette packages, which now say ``Be careful not to smoke too much because it could harm your health,'' ...
The Ministry of Finance will make cigarette manufacturers provide a warning that links smoking with various diseases including lung cancer, heart attack and stroke, the paper said, without saying where it obtained the information. The warning will also mention the risks of smoking for pregnant women and underage people, the report said. ...
The Ministry of Finance owns the majority stake in Japan Tobacco Inc. The company, the maker of Mild Seven cigarettes and the nation's sole cigarette producer, controls more than 70 percent of domestic sales.

[Taro Toporific]

Japan to Strengthen Cigarette Warning, Nihon Keizai Reports
July 2 (Bloomberg)...

Smokes, air tickets take a (price) hike
Asahi Shimbun, July 2
From Tuesday, Japan Tobacco Inc. and foreign tobacco companies added 10 to 30 yen to the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes ...
...Some hardy Tokyo smokers boarded the JT SmoCar, a converted trailer that gives light-up space to smokers otherwise banned by a Chiyoda Ward ordinance from smoking on the streets in designated areas.
``I bought a carton (of 20 packs) before prices went up,'' a 30-year-old office worker from Saitama Prefecture confessed as he lit up in the SmoCar. ``I hope to quit smoking by the time they're gone.''

[kamome]

Yesterday, I took a look at a cigarette vending machine to confirm the new prices. Sure enough, they're higher now. Marlboro's are the highest: 300 yen/pack.