Juul Looks at Japan Market Amid Push to Recover From Setbacks

  • Japan strictly limits the sale of electronic-cigarettes
  • Teen vapers and lawsuits have damaged Juul’s business
Juul Labs e-cigarettes.Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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Juul Labs Inc., the U.S.-based e-cigarette maker that’s fighting a global backlash against vaping, is considering entry into the tightly regulated Japanese market.

Haruhiko Hirate, formerly a corporate officer at Tokyo-based Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., was hired to lead the effort, Juul said Tuesday in a statement. He was named representative director and chairman of the newly formed Juul Labs Japan Co.