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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