Mild Sevens recalled due to faulty filter The tobacco used in the counterfeit cigarettes is not comparable with genuine brands.Īccording to the survey results both inside and outside of Japan, there is strong suspicion that these fake cigarette are manufactured as a part of the foreign currency fund acquisition activity by North Korea. The pack design is very similar but the quality of the cigarettes such as scent and taste are not. In 2006, it was reported that counterfeit Mild Seven cigarettes were smuggled and sold outside of Japan. Controversy Counterfeit Mild Sevens from North Korea The name change began in Japan in February, followed by Singapore and Korea the following month. On August 8, 2012, Japan Tobacco announced that the Mild Seven brand name would be changed to Mevius, due to legislation around the branding of cigarettes as "mild" in some countries and in an attempt to strengthen the brand's "premium image". It is now the second largest cigarette brand in the world. Under the Mild Seven name, Mevius was a top seller. The cigarettes are the third most widely smoked cigarette in the world with 76.5 billion around the world, behind Marlboro and Camel. At the time, the advertising slogan "The blue world of Mild Seven" was used in television commercials, and after that blue became the colour of choice for the brand. Initially it was intended to treat Mild Seven similarly to Seven Stars, but JT changed the F1 participation brand from Cabin (another Japanese brand owned by JT) to Mild Seven in 1994, and the vertical blue left side of the white background was changed to a belt design. It was the first brand with a charcoal filter in an American blend in Japan. It was launched overseas, again as Mild Seven, in 1981. It was intended to be a mild version of the Seven Stars brand. Mevius was launched in 1977 under the name Mild Seven.