Japan Tobacco actively communicates its CSR activities in Japanese media

According to a study published in the journal Tobacco Control[1], Japan Tobacco (JT) continues to engage in so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and communicates extensively about "its contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" both in Japan and internationally, including through advertisements. Previous studies have shown that communication associated with the tobacco industry's CSR activities distorts perceptions, influences media editorial content to be more favorable to the tobacco industry's interests, and has detrimental consequences for tobacco control.

Article 13 of the WHO FCTC requires a total ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. According to the guidelines for the implementation of Article 5.3 and Article 13, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by the tobacco industry should be prohibited as they constitute a type of advertising.

A sustained presence in the Japanese media

Japan Tobacco actively communicated in Japanese media in 2022 to maintain a favorable perception among the general public through SDG-focused initiatives. An article published in the Fukushima Minpo newspaper in May 2022 stated that the JT Fukushima branch was actively committed to contributing to the realization of the SDGs in Japan. The same article stated that the company would “promote CSR initiatives in Fukushima Prefecture,” in addition to existing activities such as “promoting smoking areas,” the “let’s love our cities by picking up discarded cigarette butts” campaign, and “supporting the reconstruction of eastern Japan [which suffered significant and severe structural damage due to the earthquake and tsunami].”

On May 10, 2022, Kochi Sansan TV reported that the mayor of Kochi City presented a letter of thanks to JT for donating an outdoor smoking area in the city's central park (Central Park). The JTI director stated that the smoking area would help smokers and non-smokers coexist harmoniously in society. In the report, the SDG logos were seen affixed behind the regional director of Japan Tobacco, alongside the city's logo and JT.

The city's collaboration with the tobacco industry directly violates Japan's obligation under Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention which states that public health policies must be free from tobacco industry influence.

Imposing a social acceptance of smoking and the tobacco industry

In these interventions, the manufacturer's statements to allow smokers and non-smokers to coexist by setting up dedicated spaces appear to be, according to the authors, a way to normalize smoking in public places by increasing the social acceptability of smoking.

Furthermore, the SDGs are increasingly being integrated into school curricula in Japan and students are becoming increasingly familiar with them. The media's positive association of the tobacco industry with the SDGs and its CSR activities can lead to a biased perception of the harmfulness of the tobacco industry's activities as a whole and help to maintain a positive view of the industry while normalizing it in society.

The authors of the study point out that there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the responsible business claims made by JT and the SDGs as a whole. They highlight in particular, with regard to health, the specific target of SDG 3.4, which consists of: : “reduce premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by one third by strengthening the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in all countries”.

The authors therefore invite Japan to further apply all the provisions of the FCTC, particularly in terms of banning advertising, promotion and sponsorship of all tobacco products and its industry, including under the communication method of a so-called socially responsible company.

CSR, the tobacco industry's Trojan horse

On its website, environmental protection and support for vulnerable populations are the major arguments of Japan Tobacco's CSR communication. These contributions to CSR are a modality that the manufacturer exploits, especially when all other forms of advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco are prohibited. To counter any criticism, the tobacco industry targets the most vulnerable populations and carries out charitable activities during natural disasters or here with charitable organizations such as the Food Bank or Friends of the Elderly Foundation. The money that tobacco companies spend on CSR activities is part of their marketing expenses and should not be considered as a philanthropic activity. The sums committed are derisory compared to the problems concerned that this industry itself has often aggravated if not caused. The environmental damage caused by tobacco products and its industry is an illustration of this.

These communication operations thus allow manufacturers to hide the harmful consequences in all respects of their products and their activity while improving their image and putting pressure on public decision-making in a direction that is favorable to them.

Keywords: Japan, Japan Tobacco, ODD, CSR, advertising, lobby, CCLAT, media

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[1] Hirano T Japan Tobacco corporate social responsibility activities misleadingly claim to advance Sustainable Development GoalsTobacco Control Published Online First: 27 September 2022. doi: 10.1136/tc-2022-057630