Smoking scenes in Japanese comics: a preliminary study

Depictions of Firearms and Other Projectile Weapons in Top-Selling Japanese Manga

Firearm violence is a pressing public health issue in the United States and becoming increasingly so worldwide. This concern has prompted researchers to examine the prevalence of such violence in media entertainment. Japanese manga have a large youth readership in the U.S., yet research on their depictions of firearms is presently lacking. We randomly selected 50 chapters from each of ten top-selling manga series worldwide (N = 500) to identify dialogue, action, and other illustrations involving handguns, rifles, machine guns, other projectile weapons, and bombs. Of the 500 chapters, 129 (25.8%) had at least one depiction of a firearm or other projectile weapon, with 684 instances of characters handling (e.g., carrying, holding, firing, reloading) such a weapon. Of the 384 unique characters so depicted, the vast majority were males (88.3%), adults (92.2%), and "good" characters (73.4%). Manga readers, especially male adolescents and preteens, are frequently exposed to storylines in which one or more characters are using a firearm or other projectile weapon. Working collaboratively, manga publishers and distributors should act to develop and implement a comprehensive rating system to flag content that may be harmful to youth so that parents can more easily monitor what their children are reading.

Depictions of Tobacco and Alcohol Use in Contemporary Japanese Shōnen Manga: A Content Analysis

Japanese manga, which present dramatic and imaginative stories in comic book form, have a growing readership in Asia, Europe, and North America. We investigated depictions of tobacco and alcohol use in a sample of contemporary shōnen manga, which have a primary readership of males ages 8-18, but also appeal to young females and adults. Large number of characters were shown smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, especially males, adults, and those categorized as "good" characters. Compared to the shōnens' early chapters (initiated in 1990-2003, depending on the series), more recently published chapters (2011-2016) portrayed fewer characters overall using a tobacco product and fewer minors using an alcohol product. The later chapters also presented significantly fewer depictions of tobacco-related behavior, consumption of both beer and other/unknown alcoholic beverages, and alcohol-related paraphernalia. Antitobacco and antialcohol behaviors or dialogue were rare. These findings raise legitimate concerns about the influence of these depictions on young readers' beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral choices. Future research should explore whether those concerns are warranted, but in the interim, government agencies and watchdog groups in Japan should consider applying increased public pressure on manga artists and producers to curtail these depictions and to offer positive role models in their place.

Media exposure, interactive health literacy, and adolescents' susceptibility to future smoking

BACKGROUND

Few studies have investigated interactive health literacy (IHL)'s relationship with adolescents' smoking-related behavior. This study investigated IHL's association with adolescents' susceptibility to future smoking.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a school-based cross-sectional study of Japanese students enrolled in public junior high school, grades 7-9 (n=1937), who completed a self-report questionnaire. Variables were grade, gender, media exposure [television (TV), internet, and magazines], IHL (interest in learning about health, understanding what they hear about health, trying to follow what is taught about health), and susceptibility to future smoking.

RESULTS

Significant findings were: [1] media exposure was positively associated with adolescents' susceptibility to future smoking (TV: p<0.01, internet: p<0.01, magazines: p<0.01); [2] IHL was negatively associated with adolescents' susceptibility to future smoking (interest in learning about health: p<0.001; understanding what they hear about health: p<0.05; trying to follow what is taught about health: p<0.001). IHL's influence on susceptibility to future smoking was found to be marginally stronger than that of media exposure.

CONCLUSION

School health-education programs that promote adolescents' IHL may effectively reduce adolescents' susceptibility to future smoking.

The cross-effects of cigarette and betel nut consumption in Taiwan: have tax increases made a difference?

This paper empirically identifies cross-price elasticities of betel nut and cigarette consumption in Taiwan based on the Central Bureau of Statistics demand model. It compares reduction of cigarette consumption as a result of the proposed Betel Nut Health Tax with reduction of betel nut consumption as a result of the Tobacco Health and Welfare Taxes levied in 2002 and 2006, in order to determine which tax is most effective. Results from a simulated comparative analysis indicate that the Betel Nut Health Tax reduces cigarette consumption to a much greater extent than the Tobacco Health and Welfare Taxes reduce betel nut consumption.

A cross-cultural and historical survey of tobacco use among various ethnic groups

This review of tobacco use in diverse historical and cultural contexts reveals a range of behaviors engaged in and perspectives held by members of respective ethnic groups, such as whether to consider tobacco as a medicine or as a problem. After its introduction to Western societies, many attributed tobacco with an array of medicinal uses, while condemning recreational use and identifying it as immoral. Tobacco has been used variously by respective ethnic groups at different times and places and these customs have flavored understandings of the relationships between tobacco and the body. Considerable ethnic variation exists not only in terms of tobacco use and abuse, but also with respect to pharmacogenetic factors that influences the consequences of tobacco exposure. There have also been different societal responses to the use of tobacco, including those related to the media, as well as to issues of treatment and prevention.