Imperial Brands Japan, a subsidiary of the UK tobacco giant Imperial Brands, sells foreign-made cigarettes such as "West," "Davidoff," and "Gauloises" in Japan. The company has officially announced on its website that four brands, including "Kotobuki," will no longer be sold.
In the later part of the 2010s, the company began selling electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products in Japan, but it withdrew from both markets in 2021. It stated that it will focus on its traditional tobacco business.
Connection with Japanese Culture
Imperial was founded in the UK in 1901. In the 2000s, it expanded its operations by acquiring tobacco companies around the world, including Germany's Reemzma and Spain's Altadis. In 2013, it established a Japanese subsidiary called Japan Imperial Tobacco, which was later renamed to its current name in 2020. According to data from UK research company Euromonitor International, Imperial Tobacco was ranked the fifth largest company in the global cigarette market share in 2019, second only to Japan Tobacco (JT).
Imperial Brands Japan announced on its official website in late October that four cigarette brands, West, Davidoff, Gauloises, and Gitane, which are distributed in Japan, will gradually stop sales due to sufficient dealer inventory. Some stores have already sold out and the company expressed sincere gratitude to many customers for their patronage over the years.
Among discontinued brands, "Gauloises" and "Gitan" are renowned as representative French cigarettes. The song "Have You Ever Smoked Gauloise?" created by the late Noboru Kama and based on Gauloise cigarettes, has been covered by many artists and is well-known. In addition, Studio Ghibli's film "Porco Rosso," directed by Hayao Miyazaki, depicts the protagonist Porco Rosso smoking "Gitan" and has deep cultural roots in Japan.
In response to the news of four brands being discontinued, expressions of regret such as "I am shocked," "I'm sorry," and "I will miss you" have been circulating on Japanese social media platforms.
Imperial Brands Japan started developing the e-cigarette "myblu" (my blue) in June 2018 and the heated non-burning cigarette "PULZE" in May 2019 in the domestic market. However, sales of PULZE ended in June 2021. In April of the same year, the company announced that it would focus on its cigarette business, including West.
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