Philip Morris International (PMI), one of the world’s largest cigarette corporations and an international sponsor of war, is trying to change its position in the era of declining smoking rates, accelerating its efforts to attract new generations of consumers to its IQOS heated tobacco product, according to STOP, a network of academic and public health organizations working around the world as part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.
A new analysis of leaked documents from Philip Morris Japan (PMJ) by tobacco industry watchdog STOP reveals that PMJ is carefully planning how to influence politicians, healthcare professionals, businesses and consumers to ensure widespread acceptance of IQOS and increase sales. This scheme is not new; Philip Morris International uses such lobbying methods in Ukraine, where it has received tax preferences for tobacco heating systems (THS) in the amount of 20%.
“Today Japan, tomorrow the world: leak of Philip Morris Japan’s marketing project for IQOS” analyzes the internal business strategy document of PMI’s Japanese subsidiary from April 2019 and details how PMJ planned a multifaceted strategy to influence politicians at the local, regional, national and even international level. The STOP report also provides evidence that PMI may be using similar tactics in other countries, potentially creating a new kind of tobacco epidemic with IQOS.
Although PMI claims that IQOS is only for adult smokers, a leaked marketing document suggests that PMJ was trying to reach a much wider audience with its new addictive product to help “accelerate the acquisition” of new IQOS users. This adds to the body of evidence that PMI is marketing IQOS in a way that appeals to the general public, not just smokers. Preliminary investigation reports indicate that IQOS is being marketed to young people and even schoolchildren.
The PMJ document also confirms that PMJ has worked to maintain its position as Japan’s second largest cigarette seller while promoting its “smoke-free” narrative.
According to the document, the PMJ appears to be lobbying to allow IQOS to be used in smoke-free environments, to endorse the industry’s unproven harm reduction claims, and to tax it. The targets of the endorsement included politicians, medical groups, the Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and groups that, if secured, could give the appearance of organic, widespread acceptance of IQOS. The desire to be present at the Tokyo Olympics echoes the industry’s well-known tactic of advertising addictive tobacco products at sporting events by associating these products with health, misleading consumers and targeting children and young people.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that Philip Morris International’s latest promises cannot be taken at face value,” said Jorge Alday, director of STOP. “PMI’s intentions for IQOS seem to go far beyond what they have stated, and the idea of promoting it through the Tokyo Olympics is just one glaring example. This revelation adds weight to the growing evidence that calls into question the credibility of PMI’s claims about their intentions and products. Worryingly, it hints at a broader pattern of deceptive tactics that potentially lays the groundwork for a new chapter in the tobacco epidemic.”
The STOP analysis cites media reports suggesting that PMI may be trying to cultivate similar influence in other countries, with outreach to government ministers and local councils in the UK, a national network of lobbyists in the US, plans to sell IQOS in pubs, bars and clubs in Australia, targeting the tourism and hospitality industry in Greece, and attempts to recruit dentists as IQOS supporters in Germany.
Other leaked documents raise concerns about secretly funded science in Japan
Additional documents from Philip Morris Japan have revealed secretly funded research conducted before and during the same period as the marketing document. An analysis of these documents by researchers at the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group was published today in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. They show that the company secretly funded a study conducted by Japanese scientists and hired a Japanese life sciences consultancy to conduct extensive scientific work to create a favorable environment for IQOS.
“Biased science and scientific messaging muddies the information environment, making it difficult for policy makers and the public to make informed choices,” said Dr. Sophie Brazell, a researcher at the University of Bath’s Department of Public Health and lead author of the scientific paper. “Evidence continues to emerge that contradicts PMI’s claims that the company and its products can reduce smoking and related harms. Consumers, scientists, journalists, and policymakers should be extremely skeptical of PMI, its science, and its so-called “reduced risk” products.
IQOS is neither risk-free, nor smoke-free
While PMI advertises IQOS as “smokeless,” independent scientists have concluded that IQOS emissions meet the definitions of both aerosol and smoke. According to PMI’s own published research, at least 80 chemicals have been found exclusively in IQOS emissions or in higher amounts than cigarette smoke. Four of them were identified as possible or probable human carcinogens; 19 other chemicals triggered warnings in the (Q)SAR tool designed to predict chemical safety, and nine additional chemicals were identified as being of toxicological concern.
The tobacco market in Japan
Japan Tobacco International has historically dominated the Japanese cigarette market and says it continues to hold approximately 60 percent of the market. PMI ranks second, with an estimated 1/5 to 1/4 of the market. According to the WHO Global Report on Tobacco Prevalence Trends 2000-2030, the prevalence of tobacco use among people aged 15 years and older in Japan has been steadily declining from 31.7% in 2000 to 27.2% in 2005 and 23.6% in 2010, 20.4% in 2015 and 17.7% in 2020.
E-cigarettes containing nicotine are banned in Japan, which means less competition for heated tobacco products. These products are estimated to account for more than one-third of the Japanese tobacco market, with PMI’s IQOS product holding approximately 70 percent of the share.
Tobacco control regulations in Japan are more lenient than in comparable countries. There are many exemptions to the country’s smoke-free legislation (introduced in 2020), tobacco advertising is “self-regulated” by the industry rather than completely banned, and cigarette prices remain among the most affordable in the world. According to the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, the country ranks third in the ranking of policy protection from industry influence.
About STOP
STOP is a network of academic and public health organizations working around the world as part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. STOP brings together experts from all aspects of the tobacco industry’s business to expose and challenge its relentless efforts to sell harmful and addictive products.