There’s no telling what the government will come up with if you give them enough money.
A case in point is Japan Tobacco, 50% of whose stock is held by the government, with the other 50% traded on the Japanese stock exchanges. JT’s origins date back to Japan’s tobacco monopoly introduced in the 16th century. They were organized as a company in 1898 and also given a monopoly on salt. They became the Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation in 1949 and were partially privatized in 1985.
They don’t explain why the government took monopoly control of these commodities, but money seems to be the reason. They are still a cash cow today. The percentage of smoking adults in Japan is the fourth highest in the world, behind South Korea, China, and Russia. JT manufactures foreign brands for sale in Japan through licensing agreements and controls 80% of the market. They have diversified their business operations, and in Japan they own the Burger King franchise, control sales of Pillsbury products, and have pharmaceutical interests. They are the world’s fourth largest tobacco company.
What do they do with all their cash? One thing they did was open the Japan Tobacco and Salt Museum in Tokyo, which has an English-language website. Let’s not go into what would happen if such a facility were open in a Western country. Instead, let’s just use the website to go inside for a tour.
Their homepage announces, “the Museum is a many-sided institution that specializes in the collection and study of materials relating to tobacco and salt. The quality and interest level of its exhibitions and other events make it a favorite with the public.”
There is learned commentary on the role of tobacco and salt in human culture. The first floor exhibit shows the spread of tobacco from South America to the rest of the world. There is a display of tobacco implements and “cigarette packets and cartons from many lands”. Second floor exhibits focus on tobacco in Japan. A website photo shows some youngsters watching a video in the computer booth and video library.
The third floor is devoted to salt. Dioramas show salt technology in ancient and modern Japan. It also has a section named, “A Media Adventure: Salt in Today’s World”. And there’s more!
The museum has a collection of about 1,700 ukiyo-e woodblock prints portraying tobacco and salt use during the Edo period. In fact, a special exhibit of these prints is running right now until February 27. The print shown here is called, “Eight Fine Views of Edo: Evening Snow on Mount Machitsu”. There are two women playing a dice game while a man watches, smoking a long, thin kiseru pipe. (Good for one hit of tobacco at a time.)
The museum has an active exhibition schedule and next up is a show of 20th century tobacco posters. Past exhibits have featured matchbox and cigar label collections. Special shows during summer vacation take kids on a trip to Dr. Salt’s Adventure Island.
You owe it to yourself to take a relaxed tour of their website. And if you don’t take the tour, I will track you down and tell you about chindogu again!
