Non-smokers at a Tokyo firm have been given a breath of fresh air by their employers, in the form of six days of extra annual leave.

Following a staff suggestion, marketing firm Piala has been offering its 120 staff the added days since September as a reward for ditching tobacco.

The novel benefit even has its own name - 'Sumokyu' - a combination of the word smoke and the Japanese word for 'break'.

The company's corporate planning director, Hirotaka Matsushima - a non-smoker himself - said the scheme was "pretty popular".

Once the company became aware of the bad feeling caused by the regular breaks taken by smokers, it made the unusual decision to readdress the balance by rewarding non-smokers rather than punishing smokers.


Image: Outdoor smoking in Japan is only allowed in designated smoking areas...

Image: ... and it is banned in the street

The problem was exacerbated by the fact the company is based on the 29th floor of an office block, making it a 15-minute trip to get to the smoking zone in the lobby and back.

So far, a quarter of employees have made use of the incentive, and four have even given up smoking to qualify for the extra annual leave.

Over 20% of Japanese adults smoke, according to World Health Organisation figures, although the habit is more prevalent among men and the older generation.

The country's smoking laws confine most outdoor smoking to designated areas, and it is banned on the street, but most restaurants and bars still allow it.

More stringent anti-smoking laws - including banning indoor smoking in public places - are due to kick-in ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The Japanese government is keen to ditch the country's reputation as a smokers haven by bringing its smoking rules in line with the majority of the developed world.

However, Japan's powerful tobacco lobby is putting up fierce resistance to the proposed new laws.