| Peace | |
| Type: | Cigarette |
| Currentowner: | Japan Tobacco |
| Producedby: | Japan Tobacco |
| Origin: | Japan |
| Markets: | Japan, Taiwan[1] [2] [3] |
| Footnotes: | Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1 |
Peace is a Japanese brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Japan Tobacco. The brand is produced exclusively in Japan.
In January 1946, a 10-pack version of Peace cigarettes was released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance's Monopoly Authority. The name and design of the new issue were publicly offered as "New World," but "the Peace" was then adopted from the difficult manufacturing technology. The Peace brand was originally released as a memorial for peace in 1920, after the end of World War I, but sales eventually ceased. The current version, "Hope" has no affiliation with the pre-war variant. The current variant was released in hopes of a dream and with hope for a peaceful future in the confusing period after World War II.[4]
The variant made by the Japan Monopoly Authority uses native Higashiyama leaves from the Japanese city of Ichinoseki of the Iwate Prefecture, which is different from the current Virginia blend.
Peace's logo was designed by Raymond Loewy, an U.S. industrial designer who also worked on the pack design of Lucky Strike, in April 1952.[5] [6] A high-priced design fee was a topic of discussion in the era when recognition was still low for commercial design, but as a result of the design change the annual sales number rapidly increased from 2.6 billion to 15 billion.[7] The design changed preferences and the new design became the worldwide standard, as well as greatly influencing future Japanese product designs.[8]
Inspired by Noah's Ark, as depicted in the Old Testament, a symbolic mark (a pigeon with olive leaves) is used on the Hope cigarettes. "A dove that Noah released from the window of the ark to know the state of the outer world where the flood happened. By bringing back leaves together, the great flood ceases and the Earth of relief is closed". Based on the anecdote, the pigeon became a symbol of peace and thus is used on the Peace cigarettes.
On May 28, 2016, the "Ninety-seventh Anniversary Limited Package" was sold in a limited quantity with nine issues, "Peace Classic" was sold in limited quantity as a celebration of the 70th anniversary.[9]
Peace cigarettes come in short (70 mm), king size (85 mm), or long (100 mm). They come within a soft or hard pack or steel can, 10, 20, or 50 cigarettes per pack. It is the first full-fledged Virginia blend type with domestically produced leaves as a main ingredient of Virginia leaves, and the cigarettes have a deep flavour with a "faintly sweet and gentle fragrance" with a vanilla flavour. They are seen as a counterpart to Hope cigarettes.[10] [11]
Below are all the variants of Peace cigarettes, with the levels of tar and nicotine included.
| Name | Release date | Date of discontinuance | Price in ¥ | Tar | Nicotine | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace (10) | January 10, 1946 | Still available | 230 Yen | 28 mg | 2,3 mg | Short-cut / common name: Short Peace | |
| Peace (50) | July 1, 1949 | Still available | 1,150 Yen | 28 mg | 2,3 mg | Cutout / common name: can-Peace, pecan. It is not sold in cigarette vending machines. | |
| Peace (20) | February 1, 1965 | Still available | 460 Yen | 21 mg | 1,9 mg | Common name: long peace, longpea, gold | |
| Peace Light | April 1, 1985 | April 2001 | 260 Yen | 10 mg | 1,0 mg | Soft pack | |
| Peace International | October 1, 1989 | January 1994 | ??? Yen | 12 mg | 1,3 mg | ||
| Peace Light box | October 1, 1991 | Still available | 460 Yen | 10 mg | 0,9 mg | ||
| Peace Medium Box | August 1, 1994 | May 2011 | 440 Yen | 14 mg | 1,2 mg | ||
| Peace Super Light box | October 1, 1996 | Still available | 460 Yen | 6 mg | 0,5 mg | ||
| Peace Acoustic | November 1, 2002 | February 2008 | 320 Yen | 8 mg | 0,9 mg | No fragrance added | |
| Peace Aroma Menthol Box | July 1, 2004 | March 2007 | 320 Yen | 7 mg | 0,6 mg | Peace's first menthol | |
| Peace Smooth Aroma box | July 1, 2005 | February 2008 | 320 Yen | 6 mg | 0,5 mg | Charcoal filter | |
| Peace Infinity | October 2, 2006 | Still available | 490 Yen | 8 mg | 0,7 mg | D-spec / 100's size / AFT charcoal filter | |
| The Peace | February 1, 2012 | Still available | 1,000 Yen | 10 mg | 1,0 mg | It is sold at 3,500 tobacco face-to-face dealers throughout the country, and it is not sold at cigarette vending machines. | |
| Peace Aroma Royal 100's Box | September 1, 2014 | Still available | 500 Yen | 10 mg | 1,0 mg | 100's size | |
| Peace Aroma Crown 100's Box | September 1, 2014 | Still available | 500 Yen | 6 mg | 0,6 mg | 100's size | |
| Peace Classic | June 1, 2016 | Still available | 1,500 Yen | 10 mg | 1,0 mg | Peace release 70th anniversary commemoration commodity. Limited sale only to 4,000 tobacco face-to-face shops nationwide. It is not sold in cigarette vending machines. |