Can you be pulled up for taking too many smoke breaks? Ask this Japanese employee who was fined Rs 8.9 lakh

We all know that smoking kills. Yet, it turns out, it can also harm your salary. Three employees of the Osaka Prefectural Government in Japan were disciplined for smoking while at work after being observed taking more frequent smoke breaks than permitted, according to the Japanese outlet The Mainichi. The company informed the three guilty workers that they would each get a 10 per cent salary reduction for the next six months. Let’s take a closer look at the case. Also read: Stub it Out: How New Zealand's new tobacco law will ban the next generation from smoking Heavy fine for smoking One of the three employees was a 61-year-old at a director-level post who had been caught smoking 4,512 times while working over the course of the previous 14 and a half years. During business hours, that is the same as smoking for 355 hours and 19 minutes. The man was ordered to refund 1.44 million yen, or approximately Rs 8.94 lakh, of his wages in addition to receiving a six-month salary reduction for his actions, reported The Mainichi. The human resources department of the prefectural government learned about the three employees’ covert tobacco storage in September 2022 thanks to an anonymous tip. Their supervisor called them in and informed them that if they were found smoking again, they might suffer repercussions. The three ignored the warning, continued to smoke, and lied about it when questioned in December 2022. According to the Local Public Service Act, smoking while working is against the public officials’ responsibility of loyalty to their jobs, according to the Osaka government. Also read: E- cigarettes: Why vaping is harmful and how it affects humans Criticism According to The Strait Times, the penalty has received sympathetic responses. Others said that having to leave the premises for a puff would have resulted in additional time wasted. While others thought the punishment was excessive, arguing that since people can spend time conversing, eating snacks, and sipping tea, smoking should not be punished either. A path towards smoke-free future Japan has been rigorously clamping down on smoking for some time, tightening tobacco rules by establishing many laws that forbid smoking in public places, reported Yahoo News. The smoking regulations in Osaka are among the harshest in the world. In 2008, it enacted a complete ban on smoking in all offices and public areas owned by the government. 2019 saw the ban on smoking among government personnel during business hours, as per NDTV. In order to protect those who want to avoid secondhand smoke, the Japanese Parliament also amended the Health Promotion Act in 2018 to forbid smoking indoors. The Japanese government has stated that each phase of the proposed three-phase plan to rigorously regulate the use of tobacco will be significantly tighter than the previous one. The proposed indoor smoking ban is only the first of these phases. Since it was passed, smoking has already been outlawed inside public buildings like schools, hospitals, and businesses. Also read: Explained: Why US cancer death rate dropped 33% since 1991 Similar incident A high school teacher in Osaka was asked to return one million yen of his salary to the education ministry in 2019, according to NDTV. He was found guilty of taking 3,400 unauthorised smoking breaks while at work. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.