Japan Times Jan. 8, 2008
Half of taxis now nonsmoking as 95% of Tokyo cabs join ban
Kyodo News
About 52,000 taxis in Tokyo, or some 95 percent of all cabs in the capital, went nonsmoking Monday.
A taxi sports a no-smoking sign outside JR Tokyo Station on Monday. KYODO PHOTO
Along with similar moves Monday in two other prefectures, smoking is now banned in nearly half of
Japan's roughly 270,000 cabs.
Aside from all the cabs belonging to Tokyo's two major taxi associations, the roughly 3,000 unaffiliated
taxis are expected to follow suit.
The ban in the capital was implemented by the Tokyo Taxi Association, covering some 34,000 cabs run by
389 of the city's 436 taxi companies, and the Tokyo Kojin Taxi Association, which covers some 18,000
owner-operated taxis.
Bans were also implemented in Saitama and Fukui prefectures.
Around 120,000 taxis operating in 15 prefectures are now smoke-free.
Similar steps are planned in Gunma on Thursday, Okinawa in April and Nara in May.
However, the trend in some other areas, including Osaka, has been resisted due to passenger opposition.
In Tokyo, where several wards have banned smoking on the street, no-smoking signs were displayed
Monday at taxi stands and on the doors and top of each cab.
The move against smoking began with the 2003 implementation of the Health Promotion Law, which
called for efforts to prevent health damage from secondhand smoke, and a Tokyo court ruling in December
2005 that taxi operators are obliged to consider protecting their drivers from secondhand smoke.
In its ruling, the Tokyo District Court rejected claims by a group of taxi drivers seeking to hold the
government liable and demanding compensation, arguing the government should have banned smoking on
the part of passengers before it damaged their health, but determined that taxi companies should be held
responsible.