The British Museum has ended its long-standing funding relationship with Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the world’s third-largest tobacco company, after the country’s health ministry intervened with the ministry of culture, press and sport. The health ministry has raised concerns with the ministry of culture about the sponsorship relationship behind infamous cigarette adverts filmed at the British Museum, which feature its famous exhibits.
According to the Times, the sponsorship helped the British Museum acquire over 2,400 Japanese objects, fund a curatorial post for Japanese materials, support an African heritage tour and provide equality and diversity training for volunteers.
In addition, “JTI, whose cigarette brands include Silk Cut and Camel, managed the museum’s galleries for private events and its own filming,” the Times reports.
Activists argued that JTI’s access to the museum “allowed JTI to meet with policymakers and ‘cleanse’ its reputation” and facilitated the recruitment of staff who would otherwise avoid the tobacco sector due to its ‘culpability’ in millions of deaths.”
The sponsorship controversy has drawn comparisons to the museum’s long-standing, now-terminated, relationship with fossil fuel company BP. Activist group Culture Unstained commented:
“When it comes to corporate sponsorship, the British Museum is morally bankrupt. The health impacts of tobacco products and fossil fuel pollution are undeniable – and yet the only reason the museum seems to have abandoned JTI is because it was forced to – even though the partnership clearly breached long-standing tobacco regulations.”
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