CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Japan Tobacco’s corporate social responsibility activities
 
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Temple University, Tokyo, Japan
 
 
Publication date: 2021-09-02
 
 
Corresponding author
Christopher T. Rathbone   

Temple University, Tokyo, Japan
 
 
Tob. Induc. Dis. 2021;19(Suppl 1):A221
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Japan Tobacco (JT) is the third largest tobacco multinational company in the world with key brands of Winston’s, Camel’s, Benson & Hedges and Mevius (Mild Seven). JT conducts numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities including sponsoring sports tournaments, games and cultural activities. The Tobacco and Salt Museum is part owned by the government. JT uses the guise of support for human rights to target vulnerable groups. Recently, JT has created a strong presence in the LGBT community by supporting LGBT groups and having booths at pride parades and visiting LGBT bars and distributing its heated tobacco products samples at such booths and bars. JT conducts many of its CSR through its front group, Green Bird. Initially, Green Bird conducted trash clean-up activities in Japan and then in several other countries with many members in Europe. Now, JT is also using Green Bird to reach into areas that would be off limits to a tobacco company. These areas include charity races, building parks, volunteer activities for children, and renewable energy. From 2018, Japan Tobacco launched Subaco. This group operates under Green Bird and is aimed at youth with activities for culture, human rights and environment.

Objectives:
Outlining the above CSR activities so as to have public criticism of such activities particularly as violations of Article 13 of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and to avoid conflicts in supporting tobacco industry sponsored activities.

Methods:
Reviewing the websites and other materials of JT and its front groups and allies to analyze the scope of JT’s CSR activities.

Results:
JT is involved in wide ranging CSR.

Conslucion(s):
JT is conducting various CSR activities to promote its goals and improve its image and increasingly to mold young people to be its allies in government and NPOs.

eISSN:1617-9625
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