Osaka, Japan - smoking ban in taxis from July 2010..

June 23, 2010 - Some 90% of the taxis operating in Osaka Prefecture will introduce a smoking ban from July, a local transport bureau and a taxi association said.

Osaka, which has the second-largest number of taxis after Tokyo, will become the 40th of Japan’s 47 prefectures to prohibit smoking inside taxis, with about 20,000 taxis, belonging to local taxi associations, set to become smoke-free with the decision.

While some resisted the move out of fear it could drive away customers, already more than 5,000 taxis in the prefecture are operating smoke-free. As of this month, taxis in seven other prefectures—Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Wakayama, Tottori, Yamaguchi and Nagasaki—have not banned smoking, according to the Osaka Taxi Association.

Reference: Most Osaka taxis to ban smoking from July, JapanToday.com, 6/20/2010.

Japan - some related news briefs:
Japan - people more aware of dangers of smoking cigarettes - dangers to smokers and those around them..;
Japan - 7 governors consider measures against passive smoking..;
Japan, Kanagawa Prefecture to ban smoking on beaches..;
Japan - Health Ministry set to urge all local governments to go smoke-free..;
Japan - TASPO (tobacco passport) cards to confirm legal age of cigarette purchaser..;
Tokyo, Japan - smokers find haven on smoke-free streets..;
Japan Tobacco - reacts angrily to governments decision to raise cigarette tax..;
Japan - tax increase, a pack of 20 cigarettes will increase by an average of 33%..;
Japan - cigarette taxes increase may be less than expected..;
Japan - prime minister calls for tobacco tax increase..;
Japan Tobacco growing popularity of its British cigarette brands..;
Japan - new government administration considering raising cigarette taxes..;
Japan - plaintiffs have slim chance of winning against big tobacco..;
Japan - convenience store sales fell in June 2009..;
Japan - tobacco control people upset with smoker-only cafes..;
Japan - Tokyo smoking cafes, people with children, those under 20 NOT allowed..;
Japan - Kanagawa - bans smoking in public places starting April 2010..;
Japan shelves tobacco tax hike for 2009..;
Japan - Ruling party plans tobacco tax hike in 2009..;
Japan Tobacco Starts Petition To Fight Tax Increase..;
How to get most smokers to quit?? - Keep On Raising The Price..;
Japanese lawmakers want to triple cigarette prices..;
Japanese tobacco giants focus on point-of-sales cigarette purchases..;
Japan - photos can be used to fool the age-verification cameras on some vending machines..;
Vending Machines - Japanese protecting their children from becoming life-long nicotine addicts...