Percentage of Japanese men smoking at record low

A government survey says the percentage of Japanese men who smoke has fallen to a record low.

The health ministry surveyed about 8,100 men and women around the country in November.

The percentage of men smoking was 36.8 percent, down about 10 percent from 5 years ago and the lowest figure since the survey began in 1986. The percentage of women smoking was 9.1 percent, a 2 percent drop.

Of the male smokers, 25.3 percent smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day, a 7.4 percent decrease over the last 5 years. Of the female smokers, the percentage of women smoking more than 20 a day remained at around 9.2 percent.

Among smokers, 28.5 percent of males and 37.4 percent of females said they wanted to quit. That's an increase of 3 to 4 percent since the last survey.

The ministry says the results are due to a decrease in smoking space and wider awareness of how cigarettes cause harm