Boatloads of refugees continue to arrive from all over the world. This year, the biggest chuckles were provided inadvertently by the health ministry, which announced that it will soon establish segregated smoking areas in all of its offices. Newspapers did not miss the irony of the fact that the guardian of the nation's health was the last ministry to introduce such an obvious step. This is not to say that there has been no progress in tackling smoking in Japan, but the pace of change is comical in contrast to moves elsewhere. And be sure to observe smokers' etiquette.
Cigarette taxes are also far lower and restrictions on advertising and sales to minors are looser.
One in four high school students smoke. Although it is against the law, they can buy a packet of 20 cigarettes costing just 1.70 with no questions asked from any of the hundreds of thousands of vending machines on city streets. Under Japanese law, the government is obliged to promote the tobacco industry as a means of boosting public revenue and the national economy. As well as dividends, the government receives 10.6bn in taxes generated by tobacco sales it year. As a result, levels of cigarette consumption in Japan are among the highest in the world.