Cigarette packs have been discovered in large quantities on the coasts of Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima prefectures since late July. The origin of these packs is believed to be China, although it remains unknown who they originally belonged to. It is possible that they entered the sea from a cargo ship. Due to the potential for marine contamination caused by cigarettes, local municipalities, police, and the Japan Coast Guard are working diligently to clean up the beaches.
In late August, packs of cigarettes in various colors washed ashore in Nagasaki’s Sotome district along the Gotonada Sea. These packs were new and unopened but had absorbed seawater and emitted a strong odor due to deformation. Yasuhide Kumakawa, head of a citizens’ group responsible for beach cleaning efforts, expressed his frustration at finding an endless number of cigarette packs.
The discovery of these cigarette packs was first reported by Kumakawa’s group to the Nagasaki municipal government in mid-August. Since then, over 1,600 packs have been collected with no end in sight. The issue has expanded beyond Nagasaki Prefecture to include Kagoshima Prefecture as well as regions like Amakusa in Kumamoto Prefecture and Shimabara Peninsula and Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Authorities are baffled by this unprecedented occurrence. Ken Iwasaki from the Nagasaki Customs Office stated that such a large number of cigarette pack wash-ups had never been seen before within their jurisdiction. The Ushibuka Police Station has already gathered more than 5,000 packs while Ibusuki municipal government reported enough collected packs to fill two light trucks.
Professor Shigeru Fujieda from Kagoshima University Project suggested that these cigarette pack wash-ups may be due to a fallen cargo container during transportation at sea based on previous similar cases involving other objects found on Japanese coasts along the Sea of Japan.
Despite efforts made so far by local authorities and residents alike collecting and disposing them as general waste items without any reports from cargo owners or establishing an exact count due to their sheer volume; it is estimated that tens of thousands could have ended up washing into the sea.
The Nagasaki Customs Office has increased patrols using vessels near Tachibana Bay and Amakusanada Sea while urging people who come across any cigarette pack findings notify their respective municipal governments promptly.
