95% of Tokyo taxis become smoke-free

About 52,000 taxis in Tokyo, or some 95% of those in the capital, went nonsmoking Monday, making nearly half of Japan's roughly 270,000 cabs smoke-free along with similar developments the same day in two other prefectures. Aside from all the cabs belonging to Tokyo's two major associations, there are about 3,000 unaffiliated taxis in Tokyo, but many such cars are also likely to follow suit so almost all taxis in Tokyo will become smoke-free, industry officials said.
Smoking was banned Monday by the Tokyo Taxi Association, covering some 34,000 cabs run by 389 of Tokyo's 436 taxi companies, and the Tokyo Kojin Taxi Association, to which some 18,000 owner-driven taxis belong, plus industry groups in Saitama and Fukui prefectures. This results in a total smoking ban in around 120,000 taxis operating in 15 of Japan's 47 prefectures.
Similar steps are also planned in Gunma Prefecture on Thursday, Okinawa Prefecture in April and Nara Prefecture in May, while hitting a snag in Osaka and some other areas due to passenger opposition.
In Tokyo, the policy was introduced despite smoker objections amid moves by many Tokyo wards to ban smoking on the street, and nonsmoking signs were displayed Monday at taxi stands and doors and the top of each cab.
Smoking in taxis came to be banned in Japan following the 2003 implementation of the Health Promotion Law stipulating efforts to prevent health damage from secondhand smoke and a court ruling in December 2005 that taxi operators are obliged to consider protecting their drivers from secondhand smoke.