Drink More Alcohol, Japan Encourages Youngsters

Japan has been hit in the pocket by a strange problem – its young people are too sober. In COVID-19’s aftermath, Japan’s nightlife sector is in dire straits, making alcohol sales – and liquor tax revenues – shrink. 

But not all is lost. To boost the boozy economy, Japan’s National Tax Agency partnered up with the government to create the “Sake Viva!” contest campaign.

In a bid to shift drinking habits from uncommon occurrences to attractive leisure activities, the contest invites 20 to 39-year-olds to brainstorm business ideas that would spark alcohol demand among their peers. 

According to the campaign’s official page, these can include “products, designs, promotional methods and sales techniques” that can revitalize Japan’s alcohol industry.

Contestants have until the 9th of September to put their ideas forward. The winning plan, which will be announced in November, is going to be put into practice by the NTA.

Recent NTA figures revealed that in Japan, people drink less in 2020 comparing to 1980. Taxes on alcohol products represented 5% of total revenue in 1980, but the number plummeted to 1.7% in 2020.

In the past 25 years, pandemic restrictions, declining birth rates and lifestyle choices have all played a part in Japan’s 25% alcohol consumption fall.