'World No Tobacco Day Commemorative Event 2026' Held: Introducing the Status of Passive Smoking and 'No Smoking Week' Activities

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare held the 'World No Tobacco Day Commemorative Event 2026' on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at KDDI Hall (Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) as part of its initiatives for 'World No Tobacco Day' (May 31) and 'No Smoking Week' (May 31–June 6). This event was conducted as part of the 'Smart Life Project' (started in 2011), which aims to improve national lifestyle habits and extend healthy life expectancy. The theme for the 2026 No Smoking Week is 'Do you know the rules about tobacco?' 'World No Tobacco Day' was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1989 with the goal of 'making not smoking a common social habit.' Since 1992, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has designated the week starting from World No Tobacco Day as 'No Smoking Week,' a period for strengthening the dissemination and awareness of the health effects of tobacco. On the day, Masakazu Nakamura (Advisor, Remote Area Medical Research Center, Japan Community Health Care Organization), Junichi Namekata (Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd.), Yuki Nishizawa (Assistant Manager, Health Promotion Division, Chofu City), Harry Sugiyama (Talent), Nobuhiko Horioka (Director, Health Division, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), and Kazuya Sakamoto (Regional Health Planning Officer, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) participated in a panel discussion on the theme of passive smoking prevention rules and practical examples from companies and local governments.