Kanagawa eyes wide-reaching smoking ban
Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa said Tuesday the prefecture has compiled a basic plan for an ordinance to ban smoking in hotels, restaurants and other public places to prevent passive smoking. The prefecture will aim to compile a draft for the ordinance after seeking opinions and comments from the public and submit it to the prefectural assembly within the current fiscal year through March 2009. It would be the first such local ordinance in Japan. In 2003, the central government introduced a health promotion law that encourages steps to prevent secondhand smoke in public places.