Japan Tobacco Inc. plans to expand its range of smokeless tobacco products and is looking at tie-ups or acquisitions as consumers demand alternatives and regulations tighten worldwide.
"There are many ways to enjoy tobacco, so it doesn't necessarily have to be cigarettes," Akira Saeki, an executive deputy president who heads the tobacco business, said in an interview in Tokyo. "Cigarettes' appeal may be diminishing" as more people are bothered by smoke, he said.
Asia's largest listed tobacco maker is expanding in smoke-free alternatives as domestic demand rises and the laws on the sale and consumption of cigarettes stiffen overseas. While acquisitions are a possibility, the Tokyo-based firm is also looking to develop more of its own smokeless products as the proportion of smokers declines in Japan, its biggest market, Saeki said.
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