Why British Museum has ended 15-year Japan Tobacco deal – and what it means for future partnerships

The British Museum has long faced controversy over its sponsors. Nicolas Lysandrou/Unsplash

The British Museum has ended its controversial 15-year sponsorship with Japan Tobacco International (JTI).

The sponsorship has attracted a lot of criticism in that time. In 2016, 1,000 public health experts wrote an open letter calling for London’s cultural institutions, including the British Museum, to end “morally unacceptable” sponsorship from tobacco sponsors.