Taspo cards designed to prevent minors from buying cigarettes at vending machines went into full effect in Tokyo, Okinawa and seven other prefectures on Tuesday, bringing all of Japan's prefectures into the system.

Under the system, people are no longer able to buy cigarettes from vending machines without taspo cards.

At one tobacco store in Tokyo's Minato-ku, a customer without a taspo card put money into a vending machine designed for taspo cards, but was unable to make a purchase, and looked puzzled.

"The number of cases in which people without cards buy cigarettes over the counter will probably increase," said a 62-year-old owner of another store nearby.

The taspo system was first introduced in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures in March, and gradually spread across the nation. However, since people have to go to the trouble of applying for cards, providing photographs and identification, the system is still largely unused.

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