Published April 12, 2021, 1:53 PM Japan emerged as model country for tobacco harm reduction when it reduced its cigarette sales by nearly a third in a span of three to four years since the introduction of non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes in 2014. A public health expert said Japan accomplished this milestone following the introduction of heated tobacco products (HTPs). Dr. Kumamaru Hiroya, the Vice Director of the AOI Universal Hospital in Kawasaki, said decline in consumption was not observed after years of trying nicotine replacement therapy (NTP). He said that while NTPs such as nicotine patches proved ineffective in reducing the smoking rate in Japan, the commercial launch of HTPs like IQOS from Philip Morris International (PMI) in 2014, following a market test in 2013, led to a substantial decrease in cigarette sales.