The British Museum has confirmed it chose not to renew a 15-year sponsorship with Japan Tobacco International after government officials flagged concerns that the arrangement could breach the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which bars promotion of tobacco products. The deal expired in September and JTI’s name has been removed from the museum’s website.

The decision follows years of campaigning against the partnership. In 2016, an open letter signed by 1,000 people called the sponsorship “morally unacceptable.” A report from the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group portrayed the deal as part of JTI’s wider lobbying strategy; JTI continues to sponsor the Royal Academy of Arts and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Critics, including Labour MP Dr Simon Opher, argued cultural institutions should not “legitimize an industry that profits from harm.”

The museum said it was grateful for JTI’s support, noting that sponsorship helps secure financial stability and accessibility. But the non-renewal highlights broader tensions over corporate funding in UK cultural institutions: the museum’s £50m deal with BP in 2023 still draws protests from climate activists and attention from the sector’s new ethics code. Last month, Members of the Museums Association voted to adopt a code of ethics that expects museums to transition away from sponsorship by “organizations involved with environmental harm (including fossil fuels), human rights abuses, and other sponsorship that does not align with the values of the museum.”

This article was adapted from an original report published on tobaccoreporter.com. All rights belong to the original publisher.