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Oshi no Ko Franchise Joins Campaign to Prevent Underage Smoking

The Oshi no Ko franchise announced on July 4 that it partnered with the Tobacco Institute of Japan for a campaign to prevent underage smoking. The franchise released the key visual for the campaign and notes the institute runs such a campaign every July.

The visual has the franchise's characters Ruby Hoshino, Kana Arima, and Memcho declaring, “Don't smoke in your dream teen years!”

The institute has run this campaign annually since 2009 in conjunction with the National Federation of Tobacco Sales Cooperatives and businesses that serve minors. The campaign specifically targets those under 20 years old.

This is not the first time the institute has partnered with an anime or manga for a campaign. In November 2024, the institute unveiled a new ad campaign to prevent cigarette fires with Maison Ikkoku heroine Kyoko Otonashi. Kyoko has served as the Institute's cigarette fire prevention mascot for over 10 years.

Sources: Oshi no Ko's X/Twitter account, Tobacco Institute of Japan