Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will push for a smoking ban in public places in Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics, reports the Nikkei Shimbun. Draft legislation is likely to be submitted by autumn.
Earlier, Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry dropped its plan to ban smoking in public places nationwide in the face of intense opposition from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
On July 2, Koike’s Tokyo Citizens First party scored a sweeping victory of the LDP ion the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.
“The country is slow, but we will carry out our duty as the host city,” Koike was quoted as saying.
Koike’s proposed law could also include provisions for “non-smoking efforts” in private homes and cars carrying children.
Tokyo is facing pressure to go smoke-free by 2020 from bodies such as the International Olympic Committee and the World Health Organization.