Smokefree policy is enforced at the JR-East Company, except for a night train.
This photo was taken in April 2009.

North East Express 485, Ohdate- Aomori


East Japan Railway Company is the largest passenger railway company throughout the world, and one of
the seven Japan Railway group companies. The company's name is officially abbreviated as JR-East.
The headquarter is in Yoyogi, in front of Shinjuku station, Tokyo. JR-East was incorporated in 1987,
after being spun off from the government-run Japanese National Railways. Its railway lines primarily serve
Kanto and Tohoku regions, along with adjacent areas in Niigata, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures.


Smoke-free Platforms in JR-East ＪＲ東日本 　首都圏の駅ホームを全面禁煙へ

ＪＲ東日本は喫煙所をホームの隅に設置し分煙化を推し進めて来たが、乗客からの苦情が多く、分煙では受動喫煙を
防止できないとして、2009年4月から首都圏の約200駅のホームを全面禁煙とし、ホーム端に設置していた灰皿付き
喫煙所を撤去した。ただし、遠距離列車の発着する東京や新宿など４駅にある排煙設備を備えた喫煙ルームは今後も
存続させる。新たに全面禁煙とするのは東京駅からおおむね30〜50キロ以内の各駅で、山手線と京浜東北線の全駅の
ほか常磐線の取手駅、京葉線の蘇我駅、横須賀線の逗子駅、中央線の高尾駅までが含まれる。 ＪＲ東日本ではエリア
外にある約800駅のホームでは2009年４月以降も喫煙所を設置し続ける予定だが、広報担当者は今後の社会動向を
見極めて判断したいと述べている。

　
NHK broadcasting on April 1, 2009 (L) Announcement of total smoking ban in JR-East (R) No more smoking space
　
NHK broadcasting, April 1, 2009
(L) This woman said the new policy of JR-East is very welcomed, because we do not need to breathe in tobacco smoke.
(R) This man said it is a very good thing, it provides super chance for me to stop smoking.


ＪＲ東日本は、2009年4月からの首都圏ホームでの全面禁煙の範囲をさらに拡大し、首都圏の144駅を
全面禁煙化する。東京駅からおおよそ70キロ圏内の駅から灰皿が撤去される。なお、東京駅東北、
上越新幹線駅ホームの閉鎖型喫煙所はそのまま残す。
引用：2009年8月29日 朝日新聞

Starting April 2009, most metropolitan JR-Eas train stations will go to smoke free, and ashtrays in platform are
being removed from 201 JR East stations. The smoke-free zone covers the area of a radius of 40 to 50 kilometers.
Later, in October 2009, JR-East expanded a smoking ban to a platform of 378 stations, with an area of radius of
70 kilometers of Central Tokyo. The new regulation exempted closed smoking booths in Tohoku and Jyoetsu
Shinkansen platforms of Tokyo station.


A smoking booth on the JR-East Shinkansen platform of Tokyo Central Station

(L) No-smoking sign board at Tokyo Central Station of the JR-East side
The numbers of station which prohibit smoking will be 201 from April 2009.
(R) It says JR-East extended to the area of nonsmoking stations much wider from October 2009.


JR bans smoking at Tokyo-area stations.

Most metropolitan East Japan Railway Co. train stations will go to smoke free,　and platform ashtrays are
being removed from 201JR East stations on 17 lines, including the Yamanote, Chuo, Sobu and Keihin-Tohoku
lines. The smoke-free zone covers a radius of 40 to 50 kilometers. Most railways running through Tokyo
had already prohibited smoking by the Law established in 2003, which requesting public facilities to
establish measures to prevent exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. .

"We received many complaints from nonsmokers who were very concerned about the tobacco-smoke
released by smokers." a JR East spokesman said of the carrier's December decision to initiate the ban. 　
Dr. Manabu Sakuta, chairman of the Japan Society for Tobacco Control said dividing smoking and
nonsmoking areas is not enough to prevent exposure to passive smoking. "If one person smokes, the
secondhand smoke can reach a radius of 7 meters," he said. "This means separate smoking areas are
not effective in preventing smoking from other people's tobacco-smoke.

At Shinagawa Station in Tokyo, smokers who had gathered around an ashtray at the end of the Keihin-Tohoku
Line platform were resigned to the loss of their tobacco stand. I come to Tokyo often on the Joetsu
Shinkansen, which is completely nonsmoking since 2007. I can manage," he said. It used to be hard when
the bans started since 2003, but now it's clearer where we can smoke. So even if this is gone, I'm sure we
smokers will find somewhere to go.
Source: Japan Times, April 1, 2009, written by Setuko Kamiya

Smoking ban started at Tokyo JR stations.

JR-East completely banned smoking in about 200 stations in and around Tokyo area starting April 2009,
after workers spent all night removing ashtrays from platforms. According to East Japan Railway Co.,
the ban was imposed in stations within a radius of up to 50 kms from Tokyo Station, that include the
stations in Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama and Ibaraki prefectures. The ban covers most stations in Tokyo
and some insurrounding prefectures. However, smokers will still be able to use special smoking rooms
with ventilators at the Tokyo, Ueno, Shinjuku and Omiya major stations. There is really no place to smoke,
said a 25-year-old company worker who used to smoke on station platforms while waiting for trains.
But I have to accept it because it's the trend of the times.
Source: Kyodo News April 2, 2009.

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車内喫煙所 Smoking Room inside of train: JR-East

JR東日本管内喫煙車両 2016年4月現在
The following night trains provide a smoking vehicle.

カシオペア(上野-札幌） Cassiopeia (Ueno-Sapporo) 　廃止済み　This train has been abolished in March 2016.
北斗星(上野-札幌） The Big Dipper (Ueno-Sapporo) 廃止済み　This train has been abolished.
あけぼの(上野-青森）Dawn ( Ueno-Aomori) 廃止済み　This train has been abolished.
日本海(大阪-青森）The Sea of Japan (Ohsaka-Aomori) 廃止済み　This train has been abolished.
サンライズ瀬戸・出雲(東京-高松、出雲市）Sunrise Seto, Sunrise Izumo (Tokyo-Takamatsu, Tokyo-Izumoshi)
トワイライトエクスプレス(大阪-札幌） Twilight Express (Osaka-Sapporo) 廃止済み　This train has been abolished.

Every Shinkansen train between Tokyo and Kanazawa, via Nagano, is smoke-free,
　　　and has no enclosed smoking rooms.
　　・・・JR-East and JR-west


Hokuriku shinkansen trains

All Hokuriku shinkansen trains are smoke-free.
　JR東日本、スイカ
A new deluxe sleeper-train provides smoking vehicles 2017.
　　　クルーズ寝台に喫煙車両新規製造：警告 タバコ副流煙による健康障害を受ける可能性が少なくない

All non-smoking Hikari Rail-Star has been abolished in 2012, without clear reason.
JR 西日本

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Smoke-free railway systems in Japan

　成田空港ー東京都市圏間鉄道
Narita Airport - Tokyo Railway services

All non-smoking Tokyo-Aomori bullet train 'Hayabusa' debuted in March 2011.
Maximum speed is 320 kms/H, the same level of France's TGV, the world fastest train.
JR東日本・高速列車・時速320KM/H

All non-smoking Tokyo-Akita bullet train 'Super-Komachi' debuted in March 2013.
JR東日本・秋田新幹線高速列車

Hayabusa, the new 300 km/h shinkansen train operated by East Japan Railway Company
All Shinkansen trains run between Tokyo and Hakata, via Osaka, have enclosed smoking rooms.
　　・・・JR Tokai and JR West

The smoking room in the train infringes the health of the passengers.”

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All railway trains should be completely smoke -free.
海外鉄道紀行

　イタリア鉄道旅行記　　Italia Rail: Trenitalia
　アイルランド鉄道旅行記 　 Rail Travel Ireland
　フィンランド鉄道、路面電車、地下鉄 　Railways in Helsinki, Finland
　トロンハイム・オスロ間鉄道 Trohdheim-Oslo Railway, Norway

　ボストン-ニューヨーク高速鉄道　　Amtrak Acela Express/Boston_Newyork
　シカゴCTA鉄道 Chicago CTA Rail
　マイアミMETRO鉄道 　Miami Metro Rail
　ワシントンDC地下鉄・ユニオン駅 Washington DC Metro/Union Station

　ストックホルム・アーランダ急行 　Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Express
　ストックホルム地下鉄・近郊鉄道 　 Stockholm County Railways
　Ｘ２０００の旅 　X2000:Stockholm_Copenhagen Express
　コペンハーゲン地下鉄・近郊鉄道 　Greater Copenhagen Railways

　バンコク・スカイトレイン・地下鉄・タイ鉄道 　 Bangkok Mass Transit/Thai Railways
　台湾高速鉄道 　Taiwan High Speed Rail
　インド鉄道・地下鉄 　Indian Railways and Dehli Metro
　韓国高速鉄道・空港急行・地下鉄　Korea Train Express, Airport Express and Metro
　 香港空港エクスプレス・地下鉄　 Airport Express and MTR, Hong Kong
　中国高速鉄道　High-speed railway in China

　ポルトガル地下鉄・鉄道 　Portugal Metro, Railways
　アムステルダム鉄道・市電 　Amsterdam Rail
　スペイン高速鉄道 　 High-speed train in Spain
　バロセロナ都市交通 　Barcelona Railways
　パリ鉄道ターミナル 　Paris Rail Terminals
　パリ地下鉄・近郊鉄道 　Paris Metro_RER_Tram
　 フランス国鉄の旅 　Railway Travel in France
　ドイツ国鉄の旅 Railway Travel in Germany
　スイス・オーストリア・ドイツ鉄道　EU Trains 2013

　バンクーバー・スカイトレイン　Vancouver Skytrain
　カナダ・エドモントン地下鉄 　Edomonton Metro
　カナダ大陸横断鉄道・VIA　Trans-Canada Railway, VIA
　シアトル・モノレール、リンク鉄道　Monorail and Link railway st Seatle
　米国アムトラックで氷河国立公園へ Amtrak: Seatle to Glacier National Park
　サンフランシスコ・バート、 ケーブルカー、市電 　San Francisco, cablecar, tram and Bart
　アラスカ鉄道　Alaskan Railroad

　モスクワ地下鉄　Moscow Metro
　サンクトベルグ地下鉄　Saint Petersburg Metro
　ロシア高速鉄道　Sapsan, high-speed train of Russia
　ヘルシンキ・サンクトベルグ間高速鉄道　Allegro, high-speed train between Finland and Russia

　ニュージランド鉄道旅行記 　NZ Rail: Tranz Alpine/Scenic
　オーストラリア鉄道旅行記 　 Brief Journey by Australian Rail
　キャンベラ・シドニー間鉄道 Railways connecting Canberra and Sydney, Australia
　ゴールドコースト・ライトレール　Gold Coast Light-Rail

　成田空港・東京間鉄道 Narita Airport-City Rail Service
　東北新幹線・はやぶさ　Japanese high-speed train 'Hayabusa'
　秋田新幹線・スパーコマチ　Japanese high-speed train 'Super-Komachi'
　Smoking ban in the railway trains of the world

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　日本の受動喫煙対策は世界最低レベル
厚生労働省白書　2016
世界の49カ国では、学校、飲食店、公共交 通機関などの公共の場で「屋内全面禁煙」とする法規制を実行

JR東日本
禁煙席ネット主宰　日本タバコフリー学会顧問　医学博士　宮本順伯
The article was written in July 2007, and last revised in January 2017,
by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.