Influencing Science: PMI’s covert science in Japan
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Influencing Science: PMI’s covert science in Japan, Tobacco Tactics, updated 01 July 2024, accessed 17 September 2024.
In May 2023, leaked documents published by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Truth Tobacco Documents library showed that Philip Morris Japan (PMJ), a subsidiary of Philip Morris International (PMI), had covertly funded a study by Kyoto University academics.1 PMJ also contracted a life sciences consultancy to promote PMI’s science, products and messaging.2
The Tobacco Control Research Group analysed these documents and found that PMJ’s “activities resemble known corporate strategies to influence the conduct, publication and reach of science, and conceal scientific activities.”3
FTI Innovations Inc.
PMJ paid monthly fees of ¥3 million yen (around US$27,000) to a consulting company called FTI Innovations (FTI-I).4 The director of FTI-I is an academic at the University of Tokyo.3 FTI-I conducted a range of science-related work for PMJ, including:3
- providing advice and support on PMI’s scientific research
- conducting analyses and reviews
- reporting on relevant regulatory processes
- identifying academic conferences for PMI to attend
- organising a symposium event at the University of Tokyo attended by PMI employees.
The leaked documents also reveal a plan to send a PMI employee as a visiting researcher to the University of Tokyo to “facilitate [PMJ’s] activities”.35
The most notable of FTI-I’s work was building a network of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in the fields of science medicine and public health, and developing relationships with other sectors including insurance, dentistry and pharmacy.3675 Through this network, FTI-I could disseminate PMI’s science and desired messaging, as well as directly connect PMJ to KOL’s. One such KOL introduced by FTI-I to PMJ went on to promote harm reduction, heated tobacco products (HTPs), IQOS, and PMI’s science at academic events and to media.3
The director of FTI-I encouraged the concealment of the relationship between the FTI-I and PMJ:3
“he urged members not to speak about this cooperation between PMJ and FTI outside PMJ.[…] he requested everyone to keep it a secret.”8
In June 2019 reputational and ethical concerns about the covert nature of the relationship with FTI-I were raised internally at PMJ, but an investigation by PMI found no breach of its policies.3
University of Kyoto
Between 2017 and 2019 PMJ funded Kyoto University academics to conduct research into smoking cessation tools in Japan. Rather than pay these academics directly, which would require them to disclose the conflict of interest, payment was made via a contract research organisation, CMIC Holdings Co. Ltd. (CMIC),3 which was contracted by PMI to provide “consultancy services in support of [PMJ’s] scientific engagement activities”.9
Emails between the Kyoto University academics and PMJ suggest all parties were aware that the study was ultimately being funded by PMJ.3 It was not possible to confirm whether the academics intended to accurately declare PMJ’s funding, or involvement, as no record or publication relating to this study was identified in the public domain.3 In 2020 the same academics published a paper on HTP use and COVID in which they declared previous funding from CMIC, but not PMJ.10
PMJ’s other activities
The documents included emails between PMJ and the tobacco control officer at the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which suggests that PMJ was attempting to influence policy.3 The following year the officer published two studies on HTPs, which were used by PMI as evidence to support its claims that its HTPs are less harmful than cigarettes.111213
The leaked documents also contained a presentation setting out PMJ’s 2019 business objectives, which focussed on growing its “reduced risk product” market, particularly for IQOS.314 These objectives were focussed on disseminating and amplifying the company’s science, particularly in relation to harm reduction, across Japanese media, politics and academia and included plans to ensure a PMJ presence at the Tokyo Olympics and to engage with the “30 prefectural governments”3 and “43 local governments”3 on PMJ’s science. There is evidence to suggest this work was carried out as planned.3
For more on PMJ’s business objectives see the following page on exposetobacco.com: Today Japan, Tomorrow the World: Philip Morris Japan’s Leaked Marketing Blueprint for IQOS
The wider implications of this case
PMI attempts to influence science around the globe in order to maximise profits, to the detriment of public health.3151617 According to the paper:
“Japan is of particular interest because it has the highest prevalence of HTP use of any country worldwide. PMI therefore often uses Japan as the location for its studies on HTPs, including those submitted to regulatory bodies in the US and EU, and publicly promotes Japan as “an example of successful harm reduction to other countries”.”318
The tobacco industry uses a range of tactics to influence science. To identify the tactics used by PMI, the documents were analysed using the Science For Profit Model set out by Legg et al.19
- For more information on this model, and industry tactics see Influencing Science
- For more examples of these tactics in action see Influencing Science Case Studies
- For more information on this case and how PMI influences the science around HTPs see the STOP campaign PMI’s IQOS Illusion
Blowing the Whistle
The leaked documents published by the UCSF library were provided by an ex-PMJ employee who blew the whistle. To learn more about this whistleblower and why they spoke out against PMJ’s unethical practices see the article Science for sale: Philip Morris’s web of payments to fund tobacco research from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
If you have information about tobacco company wrongdoing and would like to speak out then contact TobaccoTactics using our secure process.
Key Resources
Truth Tobacco Industry Documents
STOP – Today Japan, Tomorrow the World: Philip Morris Japan’s Leaked Marketing Blueprint for IQOS
Science for sale: Philip Morris’s web of payments to fund tobacco research
Tobacco Tactics Resources
Influencing Science Case Studies
Heated Tobacco Products: Philip Morris International
PMI’s IQOS: Use, “Switching” and “Quitting”
Industry Approaches to Science on Newer Products
Tobacco whistleblowers: British American Tobacco in Africa
TCRG Research
“Keep it a secret”: leaked documents suggest Philip Morris International, and its Japanese affiliate, continue to exploit science for profit, S. Braznell, L. Laurence, I. Fitzpatrick, A.B. Gilmore, Nicotine and Tobacco Research, Published Online First: 27 June 2024, doi:10.1093/ntr/ntae101
Seeking to be seen as legitimate members of the scientific community? An analysis of British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International’s involvement in scientific events, B. K. Matthes, A. Fabbri, S. Dance, L. Laurence, K. Silver, A. B. Gilmore. Tobacco Control Published Online First: 03 February 2023, doi:10.1136/tc-2022-057809
Tobacco industry messaging around harm: Narrative framing in PMI and BAT press releases and annual reports 2011 to 2021. I. Fitzpatrick, S. Dance, K. Silver, M. Violini, T. Hird. Front Public Health. 2022 Oct 18;10:958354, doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.958354
The Science for Profit Model—How and why corporations influence science and the use of science in policy and practice, T. Legg, J. Hatchard and A.B. Gilmore, Plos One, 2021, 16(6):e0253272, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253272
