Observers say the voluntary restrictions didnt last long. Philip Morris insisted this [ban] was sexist, says Nobuko Nakano, head of the Tokyobased group Womens Action on Smoking. They violated the code many times. A few years ago the ban had some effect, now it has none The foreign tobacco manufacturers insist that they adhere to the voluntary ban, but eir marketing suggests otherwise. Most use Western women in glamorous, sophisticated, or iberated images to advertise what are considered womens brands in their home markets. US maker Brown & Williamson sells Capri cigarettes here in slim white boxes with a flowerlike design on the cover. Past Capri ads have featured a Western woman on a skateboard. R.J. Reynolds is plastering Tokyo with greenandpink billboards for Salems Pianissimo garettes that feature a Nordic blonde. Philip Morris advertised its Virginia Slims brand with the slogan Be You in an ad campaign Japanese women still remember. British producer Rothmans makes and promotes the Vogue brand.

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