Thread by @TBIJ

EXCLUSIVE: A former employee of tobacco giant Philip Morris has blown the whistle to @TBIJ, revealing a web of payments funding tobacco research

Shiro Konuma told us: “We have to tell the people about this” (🧵) 1/8

bit.ly/scienceforsale

Konuma joined Philip Morris because he believed in its vision of a smoke-free world.

At the centre of the company’s vision is Iqos, a heated tobacco product marketed as a healthier alternative to cigarettes. 2/8

But just weeks into his new job, Konuma was told by a colleague that the company was making six-figure payments to companies linked to two top Japanese universities.

Both schemes aimed to bolster scientific support for the Iqos product. 3/8

Suddenly, Konuma was questioning the integrity of the work being done under his watch.

🗣️“Can we believe what [Philip Morris] says about the … ‘better alternative’?” he said. “Can we believe that?” 4/8

Konuma says blowing the whistle was his “duty” as a senior employee and a medical doctor.

In response, Philip Morris said: “His allegations were taken seriously and investigated thoroughly at the time. His allegations of unlawful conduct were found to be without merit.” 5/8

During our reporting we uncovered a strategy doc Philip Morris never meant the public to see …

It reveals a sweeping plan of influence campaigns and political lobbying from inside the secretive world of Big Tobacco. 6/8

bit.ly/pmstrategydoc

Japan’s government and tobacco industry have a complicated relationship, unlike anything seen in the UK or US

Check out our explainer on why the country was the perfect testing ground for Philip Morris. 7/8

thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-0…

Read the full investigation and watch our exclusive interview with the whistleblower 8/8

bit.ly/scienceforsale