TOKYO: A Japanese university has stopped hiring professors and teachers who light up, officials said on Tuesday, as the nation steps up an anti-smoking campaign ahead of the 2020 Olympics.

A spokesman for Nagasaki University said they have “stopped hiring any teaching staff who smoke”, although applicants who promise to kick the habit before taking up their post could still be offered employment.

The university will also ban smoking entirely on campus from August, opening a clinic for those who cannot give up, he said. “We have reached a conclusion that smokers are not fit for the education sector,” the spokesman said, adding that the university had sought legal advice and does not believe the policy contravenes discrimination laws.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2019