Several weeks ago this newspaper published letters from non-Japanese readers who complained about a Japan Tobacco advertising campaign that depicts Western men and women with exaggerated noses sniffing cigarette smoke out of wine glasses. Two of the writers were angered by the image itself, saying that the big-nosed foreigner is an outdated and racist device that has no place in an advertising campaign.

This is true, though it's probably more true for a minority of the observers than the majority. When I first saw the ad (in its TV version), I assumed the folks with the long schnozzes were supposed to be Europeans, since their actions -- sniffing wine -- fit a certain stereotype. As a white male American I didn't feel particularly offended, just puzzled.

A third writer made an excellent point about the intended meaning of the ad, which was to publicize Japan Tobacco's supposed research into nonoffending smoke. This effort, according to the writer, was hypocritical since it didn't address the danger inherent in cigarette smoke itself.