Japan Tobacco, Inc.
are claiming nominal damages, about US$750, and demanding that Philip Morris stop importing and selling tobacco in Japan. If the courts rule against Philip Morris, it would be a tremendous victory for anti-smoking activists in Japan.
But an anti-tobacco victory in this case would also be a boon, at least in the short term, for JT, which would see its largest competitor injured. It is unlikely that the courts would rule for Ito, since JT has itself defeated three similar suits. Yet Philip Morris might be a softer target, and if the suits are strong enough to damage Philip Morris but not JT, the anti-smoking victory would be Pyhrric indeed, serving only to consolidate JT's power.
While one ministry rails against tobacco, the Finance Ministry-controlled Japan Tobacco sees an estimated US$28 billion dollars in annual sales. But no radical change is likely or imminent in the near future, and the government will go on spending billions to reduce a scourge that it spend billions to further. Of course, Japan is not the only government supporting the tobacco it attacks. The United States spends billions in tax subsidies and other perks for tobacco farmers while parading Surgeon General warnings about how unhealthy cigarettes are. But in Japan, the government is actually selling the stuff itself. Democratic governments are often complex, with maddeningly inconsistent positions held within different agencies. Sometimes, this structure serves the interest of checks and balances. Sometimes, however, the result is just painful to watch. And bad for one's health.
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