In order to meet the 2020 Japanese Olympic Games, Japan has implemented a total ban on smoking. According to the Law on Improvement of Health Promotion issued in July 2018, it is not allowed to smoke in a multi-person indoor place other than a designated smoking room.

The smoking ban has caused a major blow to restaurants and aroused heated arguments. As a result, the Health Promotion Law is amended to be "except for restaurants with registered capital of less 50 million yen and guest area of less than 100 square meters." Restaurants which meet this requirement can have a sticker "smoking permission" on in their places.

The debut of smokeless tar-free heat-not-burn products has changed the situation. Since the implementation of the smoking ban, the number of non-smoking restaurants has increased, but actually the phenomenon that smokers are allowed to use tobacco heating devices in the restaurants where there are “no smoking” stickers is increasing.

The growing range of smoking bans in Japan has led to a continued shrinking of the cigarette market, while the market for heated tobacco products is rapidly expanding. According to JT statistics, Japan's HNB tobacco accounts for 20% of the cigarette market in 2018 this year, a sharp increase from last year's 12%. It is predicted that the proportion of heated cigarettes occupying the cigarette market in 2020 will exceed 30%.

The market for heated tobacco products that can reduce the harm of second-hand smoke will grow larger and larger. And HNB is not only a trend in Japan, it also enters the markets of other countries, playing a major role in raising the health awareness of people of all countries.