Whether they are waiting to board a flight at Tokyo's Haneda airport or taking a break in the lobby of a government ministry in the Kasumigaseki district, smokers nowadays are often herded into areas with prominent air filtering devices.
Smoking zones equipped with large air cleaners have become commonplace in public spaces in Japan as the growing awareness over the ill effects of secondhand smoke has prompted nonsmokers to demand stricter segregation of smokers.
Sales of air purifiers for home use, including those that claim they can filter tobacco smoke, are also on the rise. Some 1.16 million were sold last year, marking a 21.5 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association, an industry group of electric household appliance makers.