Smoking Area Symbols in Japan 2026: Complete Guide to JIS, ISO, and Local Pictograms

Three families of smoking-related symbols

There is no single "official" smoking symbol in Japan. Instead, three families coexist: (1) the JIS Z 8210 guidance pictograms used in stations, airports, and public facilities (with an ISO 7001 international counterpart), (2) the four indoor smoking-room signs standardized by the revised Health Promotion Act that took full effect on April 1, 2020, and (3) municipal pictograms for street-smoking bans. A "no entry under 20" mark is always shown alongside indoor smoking-room signs.

JIS Z 8210 guidance pictograms (SYMBOL 51120)

JIS Z 8210 is the Japanese Industrial Standard for graphical symbols used to guide and inform the public. Its 2017 revision designates the smoking area pictogram as SYMBOL 51120: a simple line drawing of a cigarette with rising smoke. The same pictogram appears in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) guideline for accessible public-transport facilities.

• Standard: JIS Z 8210 Public Information Symbols
• Smoking area symbol: SYMBOL 51120 (since the 2017 revision)
• Source: JSA Group Webdesk (https://webdesk.jsa.or.jp/books/W11M0090/index/?bunsyo_id=JIS+Z+8210:2017+SYMBOL+51120)
• Source: MLIT Public Information Symbols (https://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/barrierfree/sosei_barrierfree_tk_000145.html)

ISO 7001 international standard

ISO 7001 "Graphical symbols — Registered public information symbols" (latest: 2023) is the international standard for public-information pictograms. Smoking-related symbols sit in the Public Facilities (PF) category, and the JIS pictogram is aligned with it so domestic and international travelers see the same meaning. Source: ISO 7001:2023 (https://www.iso.org/standard/77442.html).

Four indoor smoking-room signs under the revised Health Promotion Act

The revised Health Promotion Act, fully in force from April 1, 2020, prohibits indoor smoking as a rule and requires any exception to display a sign that matches the room type. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes free official artwork. Source: MHLW "Key points of the revised law" (https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/point/), MHLW "Sign list" (https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/sign/).

• Smoking-only room: both cigarettes and heated tobacco allowed; no eating or drinking. Can be set up in "second-category" facilities (offices, hotel lobbies, etc.).
• Heated-tobacco-only smoking room (designated-tobacco-only): only heated tobacco allowed; no cigarettes. Eating and drinking are permitted. The pictogram shows smoke as a dotted line and adds a button-like icon to distinguish it from the standard smoking pictogram.
• Smoking-purpose room: for facilities whose main purpose is smoking — public smoking shelters, cigar bars, tobacco shops with in-person retail.
• Smokable room: a transitional measure for small existing restaurants that were operating on April 1, 2020 (≤100 m² seating, ≤50 million yen capital).

In all four cases, persons under 20 (including employees) are not allowed inside, and a "no entry under 20" mark is always displayed alongside the room sign.

How to read the heated-tobacco room sign

The heated-tobacco-only sign uses a dotted-line smoke pattern and a button-like icon to distinguish it from the standard smoking pictogram. Cigarettes cannot be brought into a heated-tobacco-only room. Source: MHLW magazine article (https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/houdou_kouhou/kouhou_shuppan/magazine/201904_00015.html).

The "no entry under 20" mark

Every indoor smoking-room sign is paired with a "Persons under 20 are not allowed" mark. The age check applies to anyone — customers, employees, family members. Source: MHLW (https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/point/).

Municipal pictograms (Chiyoda, Shibuya, Osaka)

Outdoor street smoking is regulated by municipal ordinance, not by the Health Promotion Act, so each city or ward uses its own pictogram on pavement decals, posters, and stickers.

• Chiyoda Ward (Tokyo): the first municipality to ban street smoking by ordinance (2002). Entire ward is a no-street-smoking zone; fine 2,000 JPY. Source: Chiyoda Ward Living Environment Ordinance (https://www.city.chiyoda.lg.jp/koho/machizukuri/sekatsu/jore/jore.html).
• Shibuya Ward (Tokyo): "Shibuya separated smoking rule" with designated no-smoking streets and pavement stickers. Source: Shibuya FAQ (https://dcp.city.shibuya.tokyo.jp/ctz/s/faq/faq-000002670).
• Osaka City: entire city became a no-street-smoking zone from January 27, 2025; fine 1,000 JPY. Source: Osaka City (https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/kankyo/page/0000503379.html).

Public smoking shelters combine all three families

A typical public smoking shelter (eg., a partition outside a station) displays the JIS Z 8210 pictogram at the entrance, the Health Promotion Act "smoking-purpose room" or "smoking-only room" sign on the wall, the "no entry under 20" mark, and a municipal "no street smoking outside this area" pictogram nearby.

Color and design notes

The Health Promotion Act signs have no strict color or size rules; the priority is recognizability. In practice, blue/grey is common for "smoking allowed", red + slash for "no smoking", dotted smoke + button for heated-tobacco-only, and municipal palettes vary.

"No smoking", "separated smoking", and "smoking area" — three different messages

A red slash through a cigarette means "no smoking here." A cigarette without a slash means "you can smoke here." There is no nationally standardized "separated smoking" symbol; since the 2020 reform, the four room-type signs effectively communicate "this venue is partitioned."

Find a nearby smoking area

Use the MottoSuitai map to find a smoking area near you (user-submitted, regularly updated). For the legal overview, see Japan Smoking Area Complete Guide and Smoking in Japan as a Tourist 2026.