It is indeed an enigma as to why the japanese enjoy longevity despite very
high rates of smoking. I lived in Japan for 6 months last year and cerainly
it shocked me to see cigarette vending machines on almost every street
corner. They were prolific. Passive smoking too is a problem, we found it
difficult to eat in restaurants because our eyes would be watering from all
the smoke. I also would be doubtful whether their long life span could  be
attributed to a their environment, the majority of the 140 million Japanese
live on the small coastal plains region on the main island which is highly
polluted, with a smog hanging thickly over the horizon, with little ouside
area for recreation.

It seems that the government of Japan holds a large stake in the tobacco
industry, and so is very reticent to educate the community about the harmful
effects of smoking.  The industry is so huge over there that it also has
immense democratic voting power. Apparently there are only 4 health
promotors assigned to the whole anti-smoking portfolio working with a small
budget.  Also shockingly, during a radio interview one of the anti smoking
campaigners from Japan suggested that the govt's lack of health promotion
regarding smoking may be a strategy to deal with the looming concern about
the aging population in Japan.

Has there been an attempt to determine the social or genetic influences on
the longevity of the Japanese?

I would also be very interested to know whether there has been any research
on the smoking trends of the Japanese in recent decades. Is it just a lag
period after all??

Dr Sophie Scamps
Dublin

UNSW MPH