Japan: A Heated Products Story
At a glance
>46%
Heated Products hold >46% share of the total tobacco product market[1],[2]
-39%
Between 2018 and 2025, domestic cigarette sales dropped approximately 39%, from 133.6 billion sticks to 81.4 billion sticks[3]
99%
Between 2018 and 2025, Heated Product sales grew by more than 99%, from 35.1 billion sticks to 69.9 billion sticks[2]
0.3%
of junior and senior high-school students reported current use of Heated Products in a 2021 online survey funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Health Science Research Fund in Japan[4]
Japan is a leading market for Heated Products, also known as heat-not-burn (HNB) products. By heating tobacco rather than burning it, Heated Products produce fewer harmful chemicals compared to traditional cigarettes.
In the mid-1970s, Japan had a cigarette smoking prevalence of ~75% amongst men[3]. Since the three most prominent tobacco product manufacturers in Japan launched Heated Products between 2014 and 2016, domestic cigarette sales have dropped whilst Heated Product sales have grown. Between 2018 and 2025, domestic cigarette sales decreased by approximately 39%, from 133.6 billion sticks to 81.4 billion sticks, whilst Heated Product sales increased by 99%, from 35.1 billion sticks to 69.9 billion sticks. Today, the share of the total tobacco product market for Heated Products has grown to more than 46%[1],[2].
Development and introduction of Heated Products in Japan
2014
PMI launches Japan’s first Heated Product, IQOS in Nagoya.
2016
BAT launches its first Heated Product, glo, in Sendai, and Japan Tobacco Inc. launches its Heated Product, PloomTECH, in Fukuoka.
2017
As adult smokers switched to Heated Products, PMI, BAT and JTI began to roll their Heated Products out nationally.
2018
Introduction of separate regulation to that for traditional cigarettes. The Japanese regulations allowed for separate taxation and marketing practices for Heated Products, creating a more favourable retail environment and making them an attractive alternative for adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke.
2019
Continued market expansion across Japan sees Heated Product use prevalence rise to 11.3% from 0.2% in 2015.
2020
Device evolution and flavour expansions create improved consumer experiences, further driving Heated Products adoption.
2025
Heated Products hold a >46% share of the total tobacco product market[1],[2].
The Growth of Heated Products in Japan Can Be Attributed to Several Factors
Reduced Harm Perceptions
Academics from Canada, U.S. and Japan conducted a national International Tobacco Control web-based survey that included more than 500 Heated Product consumers. The results from this survey identified the most common reasons for regularly using Heated Products were “beliefs that HTP [Heated Tobacco Products] are less harmful than cigarettes to themselves (90.6%) or to others (86.7%), enjoyment (76.5%), and social acceptability (74.4%)”[5].
Tobacco Consumption Culture
Japan has a strong tobacco consumption culture, and Heated Products provided a novel and technologically advanced option for adult smokers looking for a change from conventional cigarettes.
Innovation
Japan is a country that has long been seen as being at the forefront of innovation, for example, this is the nation that invented bullet trains and android robots[6]. The Government of Japan has stated that “Japan leads developed markets in the infrastructural pull factors of research and development capabilities and early technological adoption” and “continues to forge ahead, advancing innovation on a global level”[7]. We believe Japan’s tradition of early adoption of technology is a contributing factor in the growth of Heated Products.
Social Consideration and Personal Hygiene
Heated Products were perceived as more socially acceptable due to their reduced smell and absence of smoke production compared to conventional cigarettes.
Overall, the Heated Product experience offers adult smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke, an alternative that combines authentic tobacco-flavour with modern technology. However, the long-term health effects of using Heated Products are still being studied, and these products are not risk free and are addictive.
Opportunity for Japan
In 2025, Japan announced that excise on Heated Products would rise to level that of cigarettes. Conversely, there remains an opportunity for the Japanese Government to embrace and integrate Tobacco Harm Reduction into public policy, including differentiating excise rates based on the relative risk profile of each product, to encourage smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke, to switch to Smokeless Products.
Figure 1. Stick Sales in Japan, 2018-2025[1],[2]
References
A full list of references for this page can be found in the section 11. References.
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