Smoking bill adopted

The Japanese government on Friday adopted a bill aimed at strengthening restrictions on tobacco smoking in public places, according to a story in The Japan Times.
With one eye on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the government will submit the bill to the ongoing parliamentary session, aiming for its early enactment.
If enacted, the bill would revise the health promotion law by banning smoking inside such facilities as schools, hospitals and public office buildings.
The bill calls for banning smoking inside restaurants and bars that are newly opened and in existing facilities with eating and drinking areas greater than 100 square meters in area.
At those restaurants and bars, the use of heat-not-burn cigarettes would be allowed in separated smoking spaces, while the consumption of traditional cigarettes would be allowed only in closed spaces.