View source for Japan Tobacco

{{short description|Japanese cigarette manufacturing company}}
{{Redirect|JT Group|the telecommunications company in the Channel Islands|JT Group Limited}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Japan Tobacco Inc.
| native_name = 日本たばこ産業株式会社
| native_name_lang = ja
| romanized_name = Nihon Tabako Sangyō kabushiki gaisha
| logo = [[File:Japan Tobacco logo.svg|120px|Logo]]
| image = [[File:JT-Building-02.jpg|250px]]
| image_caption = Headquarters in [[Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo]]
| former_name = Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation<br>{{lang-ja|[[w:ja:日本専売公社|日本専売公社]]}}<br>[[Hepburn romanization|Hepburn]]: ''Nippon Senbai Kōsha''
| type = 1985-: [[Public Company|Public]] (''[[kabushiki gaisha]]'') <br> 1949-1985: [[Statutory corporation]]
| traded_as = {{ubl|{{Tyo|2914}}||[[Nikkei 225]] component|[[TOPIX]] Large70 component}}
| industry = [[Food industry|Food]]<br />[[Tobacco industry|Tobacco]]
| foundation = 1898 (as Imperial Japanese Tobacco Company)<br>1 June 1949 (as Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation)<br>1 April 1985 (privatized)
| founder = [[Government of Japan]]
| location_city = 2-1, [[Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo|Toranomon]], [[Minato, Tokyo]], Japan
| key_people = [[Mitsuomi Koizumi]]<br /><small>(President and CEO)</small><br />[[Hiroshi Kimura]]<br /><small>(Chairman)</small>
| products = [[#Brands|See below]]
| revenue = {{increase}} {{JPY|2.033 trillion|link=yes}} (2012)
| operating_income = {{increase}} {{JPY|459.18 billion}} (2012)
| net_income = {{increase}} {{JPY|328.55 billion}} (2012)
| assets = {{decrease}} {{JPY|3.667 trillion}} (2012)
| equity = {{decrease}} {{JPY|1.714 trillion}} (2012)
| num_employees = 48,529 (2011)
| parent = [[Government of Japan]] (33.35% by law)
| subsid = [[Japan Tobacco International]]<br>PT Karya Dibya Mahardhika (Indonesia)<br>[[Mighty Corporation]] (Philippines)<br>Donskoy Tabak Companies (Russian)<br>[[Gallaher Group]]
| homepage = [http://www.jt.com www.JT.com]
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Japan Tobacco Inc.'''|日本たばこ産業株式会社|Nihon Tabako Sangyō [[kabushiki gaisha]]|extra=}}, abbreviated '''JT''', is a cigarette manufacturing company. It is part of the [[Nikkei 225]] and [[TOPIX]] Large70 indices. In 2009 the company was listed at number 312 on the [[Fortune 500]] list. The company is headquartered in [[Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo|Toranomon]], [[Minato, Tokyo]]<ref name=":0">"[http://www.jt.com/about/outline/data/index.html Corporate Data (as of June 22 2012)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202163354/http://www.jt.com/about/outline/data/index.html |date=2 February 2010 }}." Japan Tobacco. Retrieved 27 September 2012.</ref> and [[Japan Tobacco International|Japan Tobacco International's]] headquarters are in [[Geneva]], Switzerland.<ref>[[Japan Tobacco International]] [http://www.jti.com/media/global-media-contact/ JTI Information for Journalists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929234333/http://www.jti.com/media/global-media-contact/ |date=29 September 2012 }} Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref> As of 2012 the chairman is [[Hiroshi Kimura]] and the CEO is [[Mitsuomi Koizumi]].<ref>Japan Tobacco [http://www.jt.com/about/outline/officer/index.html Members of the Board, Auditors, and Executive Officers 22 June 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713095733/http://www.jt.com/about/outline/officer/index.html |date=13 July 2012 }} Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref> It was founded as an enterprise of the [[Government of Japan|Japanese government]] in 1945, and became a public company on 1 April 1985.<ref name=":0" />

==History==
Japan Tobacco is the successor entity to a nationalized tobacco monopoly first established by the [[Government of Japan]] in 1898 to secure tax revenue collections from tobacco leaf sales.  In 1904, the government's leaf monopoly was extended completely to take over all tobacco business operations in the nation, including all manufactured tobacco products such as cigarettes.  The ostensible reason for the expansion of control was to help fund the 1904&ndash;1905 [[Russo-Japanese War]], but because all foreign tobacco interests in Japan at the time were forcibly evicted under the monopolization scheme, this also protected the domestic tobacco business for the following eighty years.<ref>Levin, Mark, Smoke Around the Rising Sun: An American Look at Tobacco Regulation in Japan. Stanford Law and Policy Review, Vol. 8, p. 99, 1997. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1691348</ref>

[[File:Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation logo.png|thumb|Final logo of the Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation until its privatization]]

The business operated within the Japanese government as an arm of the nation's [[Ministry of Finance (Japan)|Japanese Ministry of Finance]] until 1949 when the {{nihongo|Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation|[[:ja:日本専売公社|日本専売公社]]|Nippon Senbai Kōsha|lit. "Japan Monopoly Public Corporation"}} was established to enforce restrictive labor relations policies under the U.S. and allied forces' [[Occupation of Japan]].<ref>Id.</ref> The Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation remained a complete [[state monopoly]] under direct [[Ministry of Finance (Japan)|Japanese Ministry of Finance]] authority until 1985, when Japan Tobacco, Inc. was formed as a publicly traded stock company.  Periodic incremental sales of share to the public began in October 1994. Japan Tobacco became two-thirds owned by the [[Ministry of Finance (Japan)|Japanese Ministry of Finance]] in June 2003,<ref>Levin, Mark, Tobacco Industrial Policy and Tobacco Control Policy in Japan (日本におけるたばこ産業政策とたばこ規制政策). Tobacco Free Japan: Recommendations for Tobacco Control Policy, pp. 298-313, November 2004; Asian-Pacific Law & Policy, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2005. Page 301,
Table A.1: Privatization of Japan's Tobacco Monopoly, 1985 to present.  Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1691804</ref> and the ministry continued to own 50% until March 2013. It was announced in May 2012 that the government would sell one-sixth of the company's outstanding shares to raise ¥500 billion to finance reconstruction from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.<ref>The Japan Times [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120520b5.html Ministry to sell chunk of JT shares 20 May 2012] Retrieved on 22 August 2012</ref> In 2013 the Japanese government disclosed the details of its plans to reduce its equity interest in Japan Tobacco by $10 billion, devoting the proceeds to reconstruction in northeastern Japan.<ref name=NYT021513 /> The ministry of finance sold the stock in March 2013,<ref>JT website [http://www.jt.com/investors/media/press_releases/2013/pdf/20130311_02.pdf Notice concerning decision on offer price 11 March 2013]</ref> selling about 333 million of the 1 billion shares it owned at that time. The government remains required by law to own at least one-third of JT's stock.<ref>Financial Times [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/64aa99ec-7f2a-11e2-89ed-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2PMzn3n5f Japan to raise up to $10bn from tobacco share sale 25 February 2013]</ref>

==JT today==
Japan Tobacco has 66.4% of the cigarette market in Japan.<ref>[http://www.jti.co.jp/JTI_E/outline/kokunai2.html "JT holds approximately two-thirds of the domestic cigarette market share, which is built on its best-selling brands: Mild Seven, Cabin, Caster, Seven Stars, Peace, Camel, and Salem."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218022432/http://www.jti.co.jp/JTI_E/outline/kokunai2.html |date=18 December 2006 }} Japan Tobacco website, 2006</ref><ref>[[Hoover's]] business report, 2006, on Japan Tobacco Inc. "Japan Tobacco has plenty to puff about. The company controls more than 70% of the cigarette market in a country where about half of the male population smokes."</ref> Although tobacco consumption is declining, the Japanese remain heavy smokers, consuming an average of 1,800 cigarettes per capita in 2013, compared to about 1,000 per capita in the United States.<ref name=NYT021513 >{{cite news|title=Japan Plans to Sell $10 Billion Stake in Cigarette Firm |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/japan-to-sell-10-billion-stake-in-cigarette-maker/|access-date=26 February 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=25 February 2013|author=Hiroko Tabuchi|format=Dealbook blog}}</ref>

In April 2012 it was announced that [[Mitsuomi Koizumi]] would become president, and president [[Hiroshi Kimura]] would become chairman of JT. and Chairman Yoji Wakui would retire. Wakui had previously been a bureaucrat at the ministry of finance. Koizumi assuming the presidency meant that for the first time since the 1985 privatization neither president nor chairman was from the Ministry of Finance.<ref>The Japan Times [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120424a1.html Japan Tobacco names Koizumi as next president 24 April 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729011444/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120424a1.html |date=29 July 2012 }} Retrieved on 22 August 2012</ref> Koizumi, who had been Executive Deputy President, became president in June 2012.<ref>Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/officerProfile?symbol=2914.T&officerId=438838 Koizumi, Mitsuomi BRIEF BIOGRAPHY] Retrieved on 22 August 2012</ref>

On 30 October 2013 JT announced that it would close four Japanese factories and cut 1,600 jobs in Japan through voluntary retirements. This was planned to be completed by March 2016. JT also planned to consolidate 25 branch offices into 15 regional headquarters, and close leaf-processing and vending machine operations.<ref>Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/article/japantobacco-factories-idUSL3N0IK2KF20131030 Japan Tobacco to shut plants, cut jobs as domestic demand falls 30 October 2013]</ref>

Japan Tobacco also operates in foods, pharmaceuticals, [[agribusiness]], engineering, and real estate. It left the beverage industry in September 2015.<ref>Wall Street Journal website [https://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-tobacco-exits-beverage-business-1423039581 4 February 2015 Last Call for Drinks at Japan Tobacco] Retrieved 12 February 2015</ref><ref>Reuters website [https://www.reuters.com/article/japan-tobacco-beverages-idUSL4N0VE3YL20150204 4 February 2015 UPDATE 1-Japan Tobacco says to end beverage business due to lack of scale] Retrieved 12 February 2015</ref> As part of the company's pharma activities, it divested a [[Small molecule|compound collection]] of [[Potassium channel blocker|potassium channel inhibitors]] to Metrion Biosciences in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.drugdevelopment-technology.com/news/deals-week-onconova-therapeutics-humorigin-biotechnology-zosano-pharma/|title=Deals this week: Onconova Therapeutics, Humorigin Biotechnology, Zosano Pharma|last=<!--no byline-->|date=2 February 2018|work=Drug Development Technology|access-date=3 February 2018|publisher=Kable}}</ref>

==Japan Tobacco International==
'''[[Japan Tobacco International|JT International (JTI)]]''', acquired in 1999 from [[R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company|R.J. Reynolds]], is an operating division of Japan Tobacco Inc., and produces, markets and sells the group's cigarette brands internationally. It sells [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]], [[Salem (cigarette)|Salem]], and [[Winston (cigarette)|Winston]] brands outside the USA.

Japan Tobacco completed the largest ever foreign takeover in Japanese history through acquisition of [[Gallaher Group]] [[Public limited company|plc]] in April 2007.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=663&id=1863962006 | location=Edinburgh |work=The Scotsman | title=Gallaher agrees £7.5bn Japan Tobacco takeover – Scotsman.com News | date=15 December 2006}}</ref> Japan Tobacco runs the [[Tobacco and Salt Museum]] in [[Sumida-ku, Tokyo]].<ref>Tobacco & Salt Museum [http://www.jti.co.jp/Culture/museum_e/index.html Home] Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref>

In 2006/2007 Japan Tobacco planned to start [[Serbia]] production, and also planned to invest another $100 million.  JT paid "$35 million euros"{{sic}} for 98.5 percent of '''Senta Tobacco Industry''' in May 2006, with a further $10 million invested since then. The plant has a production capacity of some five billion cigarettes a year.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTZO44284220070424 | work=Reuters | title=Japan Tobacco starts Serbia production, eyes more | date=24 April 2007}}</ref>

On 12 June 2014 JT concluded an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of British e-cigarettes producer ''Zandera Ltd'', best known for its E-Lites brand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.moodiedavittreport.com/japan-tobacco-acquires-leading-e-cigarette-brand-e-lites/|title=Japan Tobacco acquires leading e-cigarette brand E-Lites|last=Ng|first=Melody|date=2014-06-12|website=The Moodie Davitt Report|access-date=2018-01-09}}</ref> On 30 April 2015 JT announced it had agreed to buy Florida-based e-cigarette maker ''Logic Technology Development LLC''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-tobacco-m-a-logic/japan-tobacco-to-buy-u-s-e-cigarette-maker-logic-technology-idUSKBN0NL0GV20150430|title=Japan Tobacco to buy U.S. e-cigarette maker Logic Technology|date=2015-04-30|work=[[Reuters]]|access-date=2018-01-09}}</ref>

In September 2015 it was announced that JT would buy the rights for [[Natural American Spirit]] outside the US for $5 billion.<ref>Bray, Chad [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/business/dealbook/reynolds-american-and-japan-tobacco-agree-to-rights-deal.html Japan Tobacco Buys International Rights to Natural American Spirit 29 September 2015] ''[[NY Times]]'' Retrieved 1 October 2015</ref><ref>[http://ajw.asahi.com/article/business/AJ201509300042 Japan Tobacco to acquire foreign sales rights to Natural American Spirit cigarettes 30 September 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002060136/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/business/AJ201509300042 |date=2 October 2015 }} ''[[Asahi Shimbun]]'' Retrieved 1 October 2015</ref><ref>Monami, Yui [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-30/at-286-times-profit-japan-tobacco-bets-big-on-american-spirit Japan Tobacco Lost $9 Billion After Betting on American Spirit 30 September 2015] ''[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]'' Retrieved 1 October 2015</ref>

In August 2017, the company announced it would acquire the [[Indonesia]]n [[Kretek]] producers ''Karyadibya Mahardhika'' and ''Surya Mustika Nusantara'' from [[Gudang Garam]] for $677 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/japan-tobacco-buy-indonesian-kretek-cigarette-firms-677m/|title=Japan Tobacco to Buy Indonesian 'Kretek' Cigarette Firms for $677m|date=2017-08-04|website=[[Jakarta Globe]]|access-date=2018-01-09}}</ref> PT Karya Dibya Mahardhika has a main brand in [[Indonesia]], Apache, Extreme Mild, & Minna International. 
After that, [[Philippines|the Philippine]]'s [[Mighty Corporation]] for $936 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jti.com/media/news-releases/jt-signs-agreement-acquire-assets-tobacco-company-in-philippines/|title = News & Views &#124; Japan Tobacco International – a global tobacco company}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-japan-tobacco-mighty-idUKKCN1B20GR|title=Japan Tobacco to buy Philippine cigarette maker Mighty for $936...|first=Reuters|last=Editorial|newspaper=Reuters|date=22 August 2017|access-date=17 March 2018}}</ref>

In 2018, JT acquired [[Donskoy Tabak|Donskoy Tabak corporation]], Russia's fourth largest cigarette manufacturer for $1.6 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jti.com/jt-group-acquires-russias-donskoy-tabak|title=JT Group Acquires Russia's Donskoy Tabak|publisher=JT Group|access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref>

==Lawsuits==
There have been a number of Japanese court cases related to smoking, either directly or indirectly related to JT.

===1980&ndash;1987 JNR Shinkansen lawsuit===
A group of nonsmokers sued at the [[Tokyo District Court]] demanding that [[Japanese National Railways]] [[shinkansen|shinkansen (bullet trains)]] provide more non-smoking cars. The case was filed in 1980 and while the court recognized tobacco's health risks<ref>Matsubara, Hiroshi [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20031022a1.html Former smokers denied in health compensation claim 22 October 2003] Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref> the 27 March 1987 ruling rejected the lawsuit on the basis that the plaintiffs had failed to prove their harm to be "beyond the limits of toleration".<ref>Levin, Mark A [papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1691348 "Smoke Around the Rising Sun: An American Look at Tobacco Regulation in Japan" Stanford Law and Policy Review, Vol. 8, p. 99, 1997] Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref>

===1998&ndash;2005 Tokyo lawsuit===
In 1998 seven plaintiffs represented by lawyer Yoshio Isayama sued JT at the Tokyo District Court for ¥70 million compensation (¥10 million per plaintiff) for health damage caused by smoking JT cigarettes. While similar cases had been filed in [[Nagoya]], this was the first such case in Tokyo. In addition to financial compensation, the plaintiffs also demanded:
* That tobacco sales through vending machines be banned;
* That advertising on television and radio be stopped;
* That promotions at public and sports events be halted;
* That a more stringent warning label be printed on cigarette boxes.<ref>[[The Japan Times]] [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn19980515a3.html Japan Tobacco is taken to court 15 May 1998] Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref>

The plaintiffs' case was dismissed by the district court on 21 October 2003. The court agreed with the 1980s ruling that tobacco had health risks, but said that there was no causal link between the smoking habits and the specific diseases of plaintiffs. In addition, Judge Kikuo Asaka denied that [[nicotine]] was highly addictive. Isayama said that the group would appeal the decision to the [[Tokyo High Court]].<ref>Matsubara, Hiroshi [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20031022a1.html Former smokers denied in health compensation claim "[[The Japan Times]]" 22 October 2003] Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref>

On 22 June 2005 the Tokyo High Court dismissed the case; by that time brought by only six plaintiffs. Three of the plaintiffs had died during the course of the case. Judge Toshinobu Akiyama said he agreed with the District Court decision. Jun Araki, the son of one of the deceased plaintiffs, said: "This ruling placed priority on the annual 2.3 trillion yen in [tobacco] tax revenue over the precious lives and health of the Japanese people". He also said the plaintiffs would appeal to the [[Supreme Court of Japan|Supreme Court]].<ref>Ito, Masami [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20050623a3.html Death, disease not linked to smoking: high court 23 June 2005] ''[[The Japan Times]]'' Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref>

===2005&ndash;2010 Yokohama lawsuit===
In January 2005 plaintiffs Kenichi Morishita, Koreyoshi Takahashi, and Masanobu Mizuno filed a case in the [[Yokohama]] District Court against JT seeking ¥30 million in damages for smoking related illness. Morishita died of pneumonia while the case was being fought, and JT used the same argument as in the 1998&ndash;2005 Tokyo case, that smokers were free to quit any time and that cancer and other illnesses had multiple causes.<ref>Kageyama, Yuri [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20090807f3.html Japan's smoking habit runs into court challenge] ''[[The Japan Times]]'' 7 August 2009 Retrieved on 27 September 2012</ref>

On 20 January 2010 the court clearly ruled that there was a link between smoking and [[lung cancer]] and respiratory illnesses, and said that smoking may be addictive. However, the court rejected the demand for damages, and said that the plaintiffs had smoked of their own free will and that there was no proof that smoking had directly caused their sicknesses.<ref>[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20100127f3.html Suit fails but tobacco risks noted 27 January 2010] ''[[The Japan Times]]'' Retrieved 27 September 2012</ref>

==Brands==
===JT flagship brands===
* {{ill|Cabin (cigarette)|lt=Cabin|ja|キャビン (たばこ)}}
*[[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] (outside the USA)
*[[Caster (cigarette)|Caster]]
*[[Hope (cigarette)|Hope]]
*[[Mevius]]
*[[Natural American Spirit]] (outside the USA)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jt.com/media/press_releases/2015/pdf/20150929_E01.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010033321/http://www.jt.com/media/press_releases/2015/pdf/20150929_E01.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Peace (cigarette)|Peace]]
*[[Pianissimo Peche]]
*[[Sakura (cigarette)|Sakura]]
*[[Salem (cigarette)|Salem]] (outside the USA)
*[[Seven Stars (cigarette)|Seven Stars]]
*[[Winston (cigarette)|Winston]] (outside the USA)
*[[Camel Mild]] (Kretek)
*[[Camel Purple]]
*[[Hamlet (cigar)|Hamlet]]
*[[Benson & Hedges]] (with [[Philip Morris International]], [[British American Tobacco]], and [[Gallaher Group]])

===Other brands===
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*Amadis
*Apache
*[[Amber Leaf]]
*Arsenal
*Aspen
*[[Belomorkanal]]
*Contessa
*Crescent & Star
*[[Death (cigarette)|Death]]
*[[Doral (cigarette)|Doral]]
*Dorchester
*[[Export A (cigarette)|Export A]]
*Extreme Mild
*Frontier
*Fusion
*Genghis Khan
*Gold Coast
*[[:ja:ハイライト (たばこ)|Hi-Lite]]
*Islands
*[[Kool (cigarette)|Kool]]
*Kosmos
*Luch
*Lviv
*MacDonald
*Magna
*Mercedes
*Mi-Ne
*Minna International
*Mighty
*Monte Carlo
*[[More (cigarette)|More]]
*Nasha Prima
*Navy<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-akij-m-a-japan-tobacco-idUSKBN1KR0O1 | title=Japan Tobacco buying Bangladesh Akij's tobacco business for $1.5 billion | newspaper=Reuters | date=6 August 2018 }}</ref>
*Nevskie
*[[Nil (cigarette)|Nil]]
*Nordic Spirit
*North Star
*Now
*[[Old Holborn]]
*[[Overstolz (cigarette)|Overstolz]]
*Peter 1
*[[Premier (cigarette)|Premier]]
*[[Prima (cigarette)|Prima]]
*Russian Style
*Sheikh<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-akij-m-a-japan-tobacco-idUSKBN1KR0O1 | title=Japan Tobacco buying Bangladesh Akij's tobacco business for $1.5 billion | newspaper=Reuters | date=6 August 2018 }}</ref>
*[[Silk Cut]]
*Slavia
*Sportsman
*[[Sterling (cigarette)|Sterling]]
*[[St. Michael|St. Michel]]
*Sweet Menthol
*[[Vantage (cigarette)|Vantage]]
*Wave
*Winchester
*[[Wings (cigarette)|Wings]]
*YSL
*[[LD (cigarette)|LD]]
*[[Lucky Strike]]
*[[Zero Style Mint]]
{{div col end}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Mild Seven logo.png|thumb|209px|right|[[Mild Seven]]]] -->

==Smoking etiquette posters==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:JTI Cigarettes are lethal.jpg|thumb|right]] -->
JTI runs a series of posters designed to educate smokers about smoking etiquette. They can be seen widely around Japan, especially located near train stations. [http://www.jti.co.jp/sstyle/manners/ad/gallery/index.html Poster gallery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716092447/http://www.jti.co.jp/sstyle/manners/ad/gallery/index.html |date=16 July 2011 }}

==Environmental record==
In 2008, Japan Tobacco had health issues involving their company: Contaminated [[gyoza]] dumplings made by a Chinese company's factory in China, which sold its products to JT, poisoned ten people, including a five-year-old girl.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/31/japan.china|title=Chinese dumplings poison dozens in Japan|last=McCurry|first=Justin|date=2008-01-31|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=2018-01-09}}</ref> Thousands of other Japanese people were going to the hospital because of stomach issues as well.  A number of dumplings were found containing [[dichlorvos]] and [[methamidophos]] from pesticide.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/|title=Breaking News, World News & Multimedia|access-date=17 March 2018}}</ref> The health minister of Japan said the contamination at the Chinese factory was possibly intentional, and the police are investigating for an attempted homicide.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> The dumplings were from China, but Japan Tobacco has said it does not plan to cease its manufacturing in China. Frozen food sales went down by 60% for the business since this health scare.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flex-news-food.com/pages/14671/China/Food-Safety/Japan/japan-tobacco-stay-china-despite-dumpling-scare.html|title=Japan Tobacco to Stay in China Despite Dumpling Scare – Food Industry News<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=17 March 2018}}</ref> Japan Tobacco's stock price fell 7.1% after they were forced to recall their products, and the company also lost a $500 million merger deal with [[Nissin Foods]] because of this incident.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/02/06/jtfoods-nissin-katokichi-markets-equity-cx_vk_0206markets01.html |title=After Bad Dumplings, Nissin Loses Appetite For Japan Tobacco Deal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430084336/http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/02/06/jtfoods-nissin-katokichi-markets-equity-cx_vk_0206markets01.html |archive-date=30 April 2008 }}</ref>

== Anti-illicit trade compliance ==
Japan Tobacco Inc, through its international operating divisions JT International S.A. and JT International Holding BV, signed a Cooperation Agreement with the European Commission in 2007 to combat the illicit trade in cigarettes under Article 9 of which the company agreed to "pro-actively disclose" to the European Commission’s Anti-Fraud Office (Office Europeen de Lutte Antifraude – OLAF) "…all material information coming into (its) possession after the Execution Date relating to potentially Illegal Product."<ref>{{cite web|title=EC-JTI Cooperation Agreement 2007|url=http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/documents/cigarette_smug/2007/cooperation_agreement.pdf|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030021243/http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/documents/cigarette_smug/2007/cooperation_agreement.pdf|archive-date=30 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Agreement defines "Illegal Product" as Contraband or Counterfeit Cigarettes. Both Japan Tobacco Inc and JT International S.A. claim to adhere to a "zero-tolerance approach" to illicit trade.<ref>{{cite web|title=JTI Zero Tolerance Policy|url=http://www.jti.com/how-we-do-business/anti-illicit-trade/our-approach/|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405141026/http://www.jti.com/how-we-do-business/anti-illicit-trade/our-approach/|archive-date=5 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=JT Anti-Contraband Policy|url=http://www.jt.com/about/outline/anti_contraband/|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191148/http://www.jt.com/about/outline/anti_contraband/|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

JT International S.A. and several of its distributors, including Megapolis in Russia and IBCS Trading in Cyprus, however, have been implicated as recently as 2011 in widespread smuggling to include selling cigarettes to a buyer in Syria subject to EU, Swiss, and US Sanctions and diverting cigarettes from Russia into the European Union and smuggling Winston and other popular cigarette brands into Iran.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tobacco giant JTI quizzed over shipment to Syrian tycoon 'bankrolling Assad's terror'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/jan/29/syria-cigarettes-jti-assad|newspaper=The Guardian | date=29 January 2012 | first1=Jamie | last1=Doward | first2=Lucy | last2=Fulford |access-date=31 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=OCCRP Report on JTI Smuggling|url=http://www.reportingproject.net/troubles_with_big_tobacco/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Reuters Article on JTI Smuggling|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/japan-tobacco-idUSL4E7M40JR20111104 | date=4 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=IBCS Trading Bill of Lading Shipment to Syria|url=http://www.reportingproject.net/troubles_with_big_tobacco/documents/OCCRP_tobacco_2.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=JTI Internal BI Investigation Report on Smuggling|url=http://www.reportingproject.net/troubles_with_big_tobacco/documents/OCCRP_tobacco_10.pdf}}</ref> A JT International S.A. executive told the Wall Street Journal in August 2012 that the firm had continued to ship cigarettes to Syria until as recently as February 2012, almost a full year after the imposition of EU and US sanctions.  The Journal cited Syrian dissident sources who claimed that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses cigarettes as payment for the irregular military forces and militias, known as the shabeeha, who have had a central role in its violent crackdown.<ref>{{cite news|title=WSJ Article EU Probes Cigarette Deal That May Have Aided Syria, 21 August 2012|newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=21 August 2012 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444233104577595221203321922 |last1=Solomon |first1=Jay }}</ref>

Company documents show that in 2010 the head of the JT International SA security office – who performed a similar function at the former Gallaher Group PLC – sought to destroy evidence linking up to 13 company officers to smugglers in the Balkans region; a parallel effort was then being run by company management to hack into the emails of company anti-smuggling investigators, competitors, and law enforcement.<ref>{{cite web|title=JTI Documents on Destroying of Evidence of Smuggling|url=http://www.reportingproject.net/troubles_with_big_tobacco/documents/OCCRP_tobacco_12.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=JTI Email Alleging Hacking of Emails|url=http://www.reportingproject.net/troubles_with_big_tobacco/documents/OCCRP_tobacco_10.pdf}}</ref>

The firm also announced in 2011 that it had purchased the largest cigarette producer in Sudan and South Sudan as part of an effort to expand sales in the war-torn region, which has emerged as an entrepot for [[cigarette smuggling]].<ref>{{cite web|title=JTI Announces Purchase of Sudan's Hagger Cigarette|url=http://www.jti.com/media/news/jt-to-acquire-leading-tobacco-company-in-the-republics-of-sudan-and-south-sudan/|access-date=1 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409182734/http://www.jti.com/media/news/jt-to-acquire-leading-tobacco-company-in-the-republics-of-sudan-and-south-sudan/|archive-date=9 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Research Report on Trade in East Africa "Blood" Cigarettes|url=http://www.fctc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=498:blood-cigarettes-smuggled-in-east-central-africa&catid=237:illicit-trade&Itemid=241}}</ref>

==Sponsorships==
* Galan Slim Loud & Vote Back To 80's
* Galan Slim Rock Your City
* [[Golf Nippon Series JT Cup]] (1998 – present)
* [[Mild Seven]] Tennis [[WTA Championships]]
* [[Mild Seven]] Outdoor Quest
* [[Mild Seven]] Millennium Countdown (31 December 1999 – 1 January 2000)
* [[Mild Seven]] (2012-2013 March) [[Benson & Hedges]] (2013 – present) a [[Pobol y Cwm]] Welsh Language Drama
* Wismilak Diplomat Success Challenge IDR 500.000.000 (2010, 2011, and 2012-2017 not together again Wismilak in Japan Tobacco since 2011-2016).
* Wismilak International Tennis [[WTA Championships]]
* Wismilak Slim Bolaria
* Gudang Garam Intersport Worldstage (2015–present)
* Suryanation Motorland (2015–present)

==See also==
{{Portal|Japan|Tokyo|Companies}}
*[[Tobacco industry]]
*[[Japan Tobacco International]]
*[[JT Marvelous]]
*[[Smoking in Japan]]
*[[Onshino Tabako]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Japan Tobacco}}
*[http://www.jt.com/ Japan Tobacco official website] {{in lang|en}}
*[http://www.jti.co.jp/ Japan Tobacco official website] {{in lang|ja}}
*[http://www.jti.co.jp/Culture/museum/Welcome.html The Tobacco and Salt Museum] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/partner/tobacco-and-salt-museum Tobacco and Salt Museum at Google Cultural Institute]

{{Major tobacco companies}}
{{Cigarettes}}
{{TOPIX 100}}
{{Nikkei 225}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Japan Tobacco| ]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1985]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange]]
[[Category:Multinational companies headquartered in Japan]]
[[Category:Tobacco companies of Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese companies established in 1985]]
[[Category:1994 initial public offerings]]