HEALTH MINISTRY BOWS TO BIG TOBACCO

The Health and Welfare Ministry on Thursday gave up a plan to set a
target of halving the number of Japanese smokers by 2010 because of
opposition from the tobacco industry, ministry sources said.

The decision was made by a ministry panel, which has studied
recommendations on the ministry's new 10-year health promotion
program, the sources said.

The ministry asked the panel last August to study a plan to halve
tobacco consumption and the number of adult smokers in Japan in a
decade, as well as to reduce smoking among people under 20.

But objections from the tobacco industry prompted the ministry to
propose another plan to the panel last week, which despite calling for
methods to help people cut down on or quit smoking, does not include
the target of halving the number of smokers.