Public Health on Top

Bangladesh government's tobacco taxation and other measures are hurting the business interests of Japan Tobacco International (JTI). Such objections and demands for "remedy" were raised by the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki in a recent letter addressed to the Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal. The diplomat also did not forget to mention that further investments from Japan will depend on the success of JTI. Copies of the letter were sent to the Private Sector Industry and Investment Adviser to Honorable Prime Minister, the Minister of Commerce, the Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary to the HPM, the Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, the Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Chairman of National Board of Revenue (NBR).
This is the latest round of arms-twisting from the Japanese ambassador who has been found exerting such pressures from time to time to check Bangladesh from adopting a thorough and effective tobacco control policy. In November 2019, the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh in a bi-lateral meeting with the Industry Minister requested him to bring "rational" changes in the country's excise tax on tobacco based on the fact that Japan Tobacco generates large amounts of revenue for the government.
The letter says, the tax increase on cigarettes in the latest 2019-20 FY budget has seriously hit JTI. The ambassador also expressed his discontent with NBR issuing SRO to prevent JTI from introducing flavoured capsule-inserted cigarettes at the lower price segment and the Commerce Ministry's refusal to issue an Import Registration Certificate (IRC) for JTI to import cigarettes. According to the ambassador, such moves are not conducive to a pro-business environment.
In Bangladesh, the interference of representatives of powerful countries on behalf of tobacco giants is not a new phenomenon. In 2017, the then British High Commissioner sent a letter to the Bangladesh Government on behalf of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB), lobbying for an out-of-court settlement on an unpaid tax issue worth £170m. There are also reports of UK diplomatic missions to other countries lobbying on behalf of  British American Tobacco. 
The World Health Organization (WHO) FCTC Conference of Parties' sixth session discourages the signatory states from engaging its government. officials and diplomatic missions in favor of promoting tobacco companies. Article 5.3 of the FCTC very clearly addressed the issue, "goes, parties shall act to protect public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. And all parts of government, including diplomatic missions, are obligated to implement this objective." It should be noted that the use of tobacco causes around 161,000 deaths in Bangladesh a year. The financial loss incurred per year due to tobacco use exceeds BDT 30,560 crore. Realizing the deaths and devastations caused by tobacco, in January 2016, the Honorable Prime Minister announced the long-term goal for a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040. Different govt. offices are all contributing to make the vision a reality. The letter of the Japanese diplomat to safeguard the business interest of a tobacco company is an unwelcome one and is in grave conflict with the public health interest of Bangladesh.