Japan-based airlines report record 429 cases of in-flight smoking in 2025

Major airlines based in Japan reported a record 429 cases of smoking on board domestic and international flights in 2025, the transport ministry said Monday, with the spread of heated tobacco products believed to be a major contributing factor.The figure, the highest since comparable data became available in 2004, is a 6.6-fold increase from the lowest number recorded in 2019 at 65 cases. The government plans to work with airline carriers to raise public awareness of the risks of a fire breaking out on an aircraft.Under a 2004 revision of the Civil Aeronautics Act, smoking in lavatories is …READ FULL ARTICLE