In a plot twist that would make any public-health official smile, Japan’s heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products have quietly taken over nearly 50% of the nation’s cigarette market.
According to a report from Sankei, HNB devices like IQOS, Ploom, and glo now outsell traditional smokes across Tokyo and Kyushu — the country’s trendiest and smokiest corners.

So yes, Japan didn’t just kick the cigarette habit. It upgraded it.

🚛 Corporations and City Halls: Teaming Up to Snuff Out Smoke

Japan’s anti-smoking movement has turned into a tag-team match between companies and local governments — with a mix of corporate incentives and municipal engineering.

Take Fuji Transport Co., for example.
Truck drivers — historically heavy smokers — were encouraged to switch to HNB devices years ago. The company even pays half the price of these devices for employees, arguing that cleaner air inside trucks means happier drivers (and fewer complaints about the “ashtray on wheels” smell).

The results?
Most of Fuji’s smokers have ditched traditional cigarettes entirely — proof that sometimes it takes a discount to detox.

Meanwhile, Suita City, near Osaka, has declared itself a “Smoke-Free City” and built new enclosed “Quit-Support Booths” where people can vape or heat their tobacco in peace — no open flames, no angry pedestrians.

Other local governments are catching on fast.
World-heritage towns like Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture and Shirakawa Village in Gifu are also designating flame-free smoking areas — not just for public health, but to cut fire risks around their precious wooden landmarks.

The message is clear: keep your heritage, not your ashes.

📈 Japan’s Big Three: IQOS, Ploom, and glo Blaze Ahead

Japan’s heat-not-burn race is dominated by three major brands — and all are heating up (pun very much intended).

• Philip Morris International’s IQOS remains the reigning champion.
  According to PMI data, since its 2014 launch, IQOS has grown its market share to 47.1% nationwide by the end of last year — and in Tokyo, it’s already past the halfway mark.
  Sales were up 13% year-on-year, and the number of Japanese IQOS users hit 9.5 million.
• Japan Tobacco’s Ploom X is catching up fast. CEO Masamichi Terabatake says sales are climbing steadily, and the company plans to double down on Ploom investments as a long-term growth priority.
• British American Tobacco’s glo rounds out the top three, holding its own in Japan’s east-west divide — with Kanto (Tokyo and beyond) leading adoption, while the Kansai region remains a little more old-school about its smoking habits.

🔥 From Fire to Firmware: Japan’s Smokers Evolve

It’s been 10 years since HNB products hit Japanese shelves, and what started as a niche gadget has now gone mainstream — helped by government cooperation, clever corporate strategies, and a tech-savvy population that loves anything rechargeable.

In a country where vending machines can sell you coffee, curry, or socks, it was only a matter of time before the cigarette got its own hardware upgrade.

🧠 The Takeaway

Japan didn’t outlaw smoking; it out-innovated it.
By turning heat-not-burn products into the new normal, it’s leading a quiet public-health revolution — proving that when tech meets tobacco, even an old habit can learn new tricks.