Smoking Ban in Hong Kong A night view of Hong Kong from kowloon Hong Kong was a Britsh Crown colony. In 1984 the two countries signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, agreeing to transfer sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997 and stipulating that Hong Kong would be governed as a special administrative region, retaining its laws and a high degree of autonomy for at least fifty years after the transfer. Hong Kong in the late nineteenth century was a major trading post of the British Empire. Hong Kong enforced a blanket smoking ban in public places. Hong Kong's government is set to enforce a blanket smoking ban in public places from the July 1, 2009. It aimed to protect workers in the city's bars, nightclubs, bathhouses, massage establishments and mahjong parlors from second-hand smoke.The Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong figures that show restaurant business is up to 30 percent since the ban was enforced two years ago. However, people are more worried about short-term job security than long-term health, because a ban is likely to make thousands unemployed. The Entertainment Business Rights Concern group points to studies conducted in Britain that a bar and pub business declined by around 15 percent in the two years after smoking bans. In many countries in the world is now prohibiting smoking in public places. The smoke-free eateries were becoming a worldwide trend, and the smoking ban is thought as a quite good measure, so is welcomed by a tourist visiting Hong Kong. The government official also said in the statement "A number of establishments have attracted guests who are non-smokers or dislike second-hand smoke after the implementation of the ban. The latest government figures showed about 840,000 people aged 15 or above, of the seven-million population of Hong Kong, were smokers. Any smokers caught breaking the new law will be subject to a maximum penalty of HK$5,000 (US $644). Reference: Agence France-Presse June 29, 2009 and others. Hong Kong cerebrates a new year of 2008. Photographed in December 2007. No smoking sign plate in the Hong Kong International Airport. Photographed in December 2008. 香港でレストラン、バー、公共的施設を全面禁煙 アジア太平洋地区で喫煙率が最も低いと言われた香港での喫煙対策は英国統治時代の1982年にさかのぼる。1997年 に中国に返還されたが、その後、喫煙対策をさらに加速させた。1998年当時の男性喫煙率は40％であったが今は 14％まで減少している。日本の若い女性の喫煙率は20％を大きく超えているが、香港では3％程度である。 2007年1月から香港特別行政区では公共の場所での喫煙を禁止する禁煙条例が施行された。規制対象は職場、 レストラン、学校、病院、宿舎、などであり、海水浴場、学校、病院、プールなどの場所では屋外も喫煙規制の対象と なっている。2009年7月には全面禁煙の範囲はバー、酒場、カラオケ店、麻雀、ナイトクラブ、マッサージ店にも 及び、喫煙規制は強化されている。全面禁煙規制導入の理由は働くものたちをタバコ副流煙の被害から守るため である。違反者には罰金、5000香港ドル（2008年1月の交換レートは１香港ドル＝約15円）が科せられる。 違反者を摘発するため「喫煙情報ホットライン」の回線を増やして取り締まりの強化を図っている。 2007年12月、「禁煙席ネット」会員が香港喫煙規制状況を検証してきた。驚いたことにホテルのロビー、 レストランなどの飲食店で、禁煙標がないにも拘わらず、誰一人喫煙している人がいなかったことである。それが 小さな飲食店でも完全に守られていた。街の中（野外）でタバコを吸っている人は少ないようだ。喫煙人口の減少、 モラルの向上、「喫煙情報ホットライン」（密告制度）を受けての取り締まりの結果がそこに現れているので あろう。 香港では人口7000万人のうち、840,000人が喫煙者で、喫煙と受動喫煙による健康被害額は53億香港ドル （約813億円）とされている。機会あるごとに、人為的に回避出来る死亡の最大の原因は喫煙行為にあることを 広報している香港特別行政区の姿勢を高く評価したい。衛生福祉食物局のヨーク・チョウ局長は、「私たちは市民が 健康になること、喫煙者の数が減ることを望んでいる。これから時間をかけて段階的にタバコ対策を実施していく 予定だ」と語っている。 引用 Tobacco Control Office ,Department of Health,The Government of Hong Kong (L) An information board of the smoking ban in the public places. The max.imum fine is HK$,5000. (R) Restaurants stand both sides of the Hong Kong street. Photographed in December 2007. No smoking sign plate in the Hong Kong MTR station. Photographed in December 2007. Hong Kong's government is set to enforce a blanket smoking ban in public places from the July 1, 2009. It aimed to protect workers in the city's bars, nightclubs, bathhouses, massage establishments and mahjong parlors from second-hand smoke. Smokers on Hong Kong's street A hanging screen stating that smoking is prohibited in a public transport facility. (L) A woman smoker on Hong Kong's street (M) No-smoking sign on the pavement for pedestrian (R) A poster of 'smokefree environment' (L) A sign plate informing the maximum penalty is HK$5,000 (M) A smoker often smokes besides a dust bin. (R) A warning of that smoking is not allowed at this place, unless it is designated for putting light on cigarette. No smoking is allowed in a public park of Hong Kong. No smoking is allowed in a public park of Hong Kong. (L) In a public transportation, smoking is prohibited. (R) The poster says it is their proud to be a smokefree venue. (L) Smoking is not permitted except around the ashtray along the pavement. (R) This smoking place at Hong Kong Convention and Exihibition Centre is along the side wall of the driveway. Smokers have to be cautious for passing motor vehicles while smoking. (L) An outside dinning table is exempted from the smoking-restriction law. (R) No-smoking sign plate pasted on a pedestrian overpass in Hong Kong Island. No smoking is allowed in an outside quay wall, and under-road subway（地下道）. Hong Kong International Airport (L) Smoking in the terminals is prohibited by Hong Kong law. However, it is allowed in the designated room. The sign plate shows the direction of a smoking lounge. (R) Hong Kong International Airport provides a designated smoking lounge in Terminal 1. Smoking Lounge in the Hong Kong International Airport (Source: Airport Authority Hong Kong ) Swire Hotels The Upper House in Pacific Place has announced that, effective from March 2010, all of the hotel’s 117 guestrooms will be smoke-free.　The hotel takes this preventative measure to ensure its rooms are smoke-free at all times, something that a growing number of guests are requesting. H Smoking Restriction at Hotels in the World: Actual Survey The ratio of a non-smoking guest room to the total hotel rooms was calculated, based on-the-spot investigation. (L) The city of Hong Kong viewed from aircraft. (R) The largest temple in Hog Kong, Won TaiSin Temple. Photographed in January 1991. Hong Kong Skykine We often observed smokers standing near the hotel entrance or on the street near a dust bin. The majority of street smokers are a traveler from China or other countries. The overall smoking rate in Hong Kong is 11.8%, with 25% at males. In contrast, in the mainland China, the male-smokers rate is 63%. A man or woman who is smoking while walking on a street appears not too many. This may be related the time we visited Hong Kong. Although it was much warmer than that of Tokyo, this area was faced to the coldest season of the year. Even though, sometimes, a pedestrian has to aspirate the side-smoke released from a smoker. 香港の市中ではホテルの入口やオレンジ色のゴミ入れ近くで喫煙している男女をよく見かける。多くは中国本土からの 人を含む旅行者であろうが、その土地の喫煙者も混在している。ちなみに、中国本土における男性喫煙率は63％であり、 香港在住男性の喫煙率は25% である（男女平均は11.8%）。歩行しながら喫煙している人も見かけたが、比較的寒い 12月であったせいか、そう多くない。飲食店では屋外の席には灰皿を用意してあり、タバコを吸える。しかし、屋内 空間喫煙規制は厳しく、ホテル通路、ロビー、レストランなどは100% 禁煙である。香港国際空港はターミナル１の 喫煙室を除き、全面禁煙である。香港の公園内では喫煙を禁止している。 Hong Kong/Macau Hong Kong and HongKong Railway 2012 Hong Kong life Smoking ban in Hong Kong Hotels of Hong Kong High-Speed Rail from/to HongKong Macau Hotels of Macau 先進的な喫煙規制を続けている国際都市、香港 2008年2月執筆　2009年3月加筆 　2009年11月英文加筆 　2010年4月英文加筆 　撮影 2012年12月　2013年1月一部加筆 執筆　医学博士　宮本順伯 ★This Web site is link-free. This information was provided by the Smokefree Hotel and Travel. The article was written in February 2008, A photograph was taken in December 2012, and information was added in June 2019, by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.. Copyright (C) 2008 (C) 2012 Junhaku Miyamoto, All rights reserved. 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