Tobacco vending machine
Tuesday July 8, 2008
I read an article about a tobacco vending machine that can detect if the purchaser is a minor. In some countries, the purchase of tobacco can be very strict. In Japan, it can be easily purchased from vending machines, which are located everywhere. This newly developed machine has a built-in camera that measures facial wrinkles, pupil size and other features. The population of smokers is quite high in Japan. It is 29.2 % (as of 2007) and the fifth highest in the world following Greece, Turkey, Netherlands and Hungary. I think people are concerned about health nowadays, but when I was little, the men of my dad’s age were almost all smokers. I wonder how effective this new machine will be in preventing youth from smoking?
Japanese Translation
Japanese Translation
Comments
I think people should stop smoking if not, they should reduce the amount of smoking everyday. As all we know, smoking can trigger many kinds of diseases, esp. cancer… as for me, i don’t want to mingle with those who smoke since I have allergic rhinitis, i’m having a hard time breathing when I’m with those smokers, but it can’t be helped, since, wherever you are, those people exists… T,T
Here’s an article describing how these machines can be fooled.
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/06/magazine-photos-fool-age-verification-cameras/
i really agree that people should stop smoking.. but if they do, then it will be such a big loss to industries, especially cigarette industry, which has million people work on it.
but well, maybe it will be such a long progress if will sure about stopping cigarette industry
In Japan, Aichi Ken, as far as i know, has implemented a new system beginning June 1st called TASPO – An ID card which would be read by a tobacco vending machine before proceeding with the sale. These cards are applied for through the mail and are only given to persons over 20 years (legal age in Japan).. But I guess, in case a lost card ending in the possession of a minor would defeat the idea. I myself never applied for one coz want to quit
p.s. im not a minor
@tryingtoquit:
Here in Toyama-ken the same rule went into place (also June 1st). I had assumed it was all of Japan. Every vending machine has either been replaced with one that requires an ID or has been decommissioned.
Now, I cannot buy tobacco from vending machines because I’m a foreigner! Well, it’s okay, the people at the konbini are kind enough =)
I know in the US there are smoke free policies like no smoking in the workplace or in malls and department stores plus more recently like New York City’s smoking ban in all restaurants and bars. Are smoking policies as strict in Japan?
@Ben:
In California there is also a smoking ban in all indoor places except private residences.
In Japan however, it seems to be very mixed.
Some restaurants have smoking sections and non-smoking sections. In other restaurants, I’ve seen people smoking anywhere they please, and in still other restaurants it seems to be forbidden (although I don’t ever see explicit signs).
By contrast, there is no smoking indoors at my apartment, while there are smoking areas at my workplace. However, my workplace is 2km underground, so its hard to go outside for a smoke
JR Tobacco is one of the most powerful companies in Japan. Not only that, many of its current and past board members are involved in politics, working to pass favorable laws toward cigarette makers. The US has similar problems with the military-industrial complex in my opinion.
In Okinawa I saw the vending machines that require IDs pop up earlier this month, though they may have been around since last month. I mainly stuck close to base last month, so perhaps I just didn’t notice them. I haven’t seen or heard of the one that scans your face until now, but I just ran a search on it and apparently that can be fooled by photos of people that look old enough. I look like I’m in my 20’s and I’m 19. Heck, I could’ve bought cigarettes out here when I was 15 with my facial hair that I used to have.
I think the ID one is a good idea, but they should have a system for lost IDs if they don’t already. That and they need to make military IDs compatible with them for 18+ since we’re allowed to smoke since we’re under U.S. law on that. I don’t have any idea how to acquire one of those IDs, but the locals are nice enough when they see me staring at the brand I want with a sad look on my face. 
Either that, or I’ll say Sumimasen and point at the ID reader and then I offer them a bit of yen for their kindness. Not sure if they’re used to that(except for a gommenasai(sp?)), but if someone is nice to me, I like to repay them. 
Oh. And a reply to Mary Joy. Some of us want to quit, but some of us don’t. You made the person themselves sound like a disease just because they smoke. Granted a smoker should be thoughtful and not walk too close to people if he can help it, especially small children. I generally smoke if I’m walking with other smokers and try to avoid walking too close to people that aren’t. You may agree that people should stop smoking, but that’s like saying people should stop eating processed food. Unless you’re buying Organic food, you’re putting harmful things(preservatives, growth hormones) into your body. Are you going to eat only Organic food? Some people do. But for the most part, even if people know they should eat healthier, they don’t. Also, soda has caffeine which is an addictive substance with unhealthy qualities(less harmful, but much more commonly consumed than tobacco) as well. Tell people they should quit drinking soda altogether and see what kind of looks you get. Also, I look at smoking as a freedom of expression, and I will not have my right to smoke taken away, even if I were to quit.
I grew up in India where there was no age verification for cigarette sales. I often went to the store and bought cigarettes for my dad. But my friends and I didn’t smoke because (a) Kids weren’t supposed to smoke (b) Cigarette smoke smells bad, and (c) We were scared of parents finding out or neighbors seeing us and telling our parents.
If one wants to prevent kids from smoking, parents and society can do a much better job than any vending machine/technology, which kids can always bypass. But sadly now-a-days, most parents don’t have/spend enough time with kids and neighbors don’t care either…
I’d say not very effective. When I was there, Taspo was introduced. I applied for a Taspo card but I forgot to change my address on my temporary residence card so I couldn’t receive it. I’d often buy for my Japanese college friends that were too young to apply for Taspo and could not buy at the convenience store because they were too young. Maybe that makes me a part of the problem…
I have been traveling a lot lately and have been noticing the smoking policies throughout the places I go. All restaurants in Austin are required to be smoke free. In Tennessee the same policies have been set (at least in east TN, around the Tri-Cities area). In Kalamazoo (Michigan), there seems to be no such law, because most of the restaurants I went to had a smoking and a nonsmoking section. Even in Mackinac Island, a big tourist destination in Lake Huron people were smoking everywhere
I’m not really a bog fan of smokers i think that its a very bad habit but then sometimes it cant be helped.
If i was to go to Japan on holiday, what is the best place to visit first and why?
sorry, this is for that typing error i made bog = big. Sorry for the mistake.
I’m a girl and I’m 20 years old. I first put a cigarette in my mouth when I was 13.Even now I can smoke whenever I want just to show off but in reality I didn’t become addicted because it made me dizzy in a bad way. Seven years passed and I don’t think I smoked more than 3 months. It’s a common thing among teenagers to start smoking because if not smokers believe we are too innocent. I don’t like to smoke because it makes me sick, I don’t like the taste and smell afterwards and it really doesn’t look good on girls. If boys were to be asked about girls smoking, in reality they would say they don’t like them. So I’m proud I managed to restrain myself from this dangerous habit ^_^