IN many countries around the world, there are focused efforts to reduce alcohol intake and cultivate, at the very least, a moderate approach to drinking, but in Japan, young people are being encouraged to drink up.

 

Cheers?

The Japanese government wants the country’s young people to help reinvigorate the alcoholic beverage industry and so, the country’s national tax body has launched ‘Sake Viva!’

 

To encourage drinking?

The, campaign - running until September 9 - calls on those aged 20 to 39 to conceive exciting new business concepts to revitalise a struggling industry that has been badly impacted by not just the pandemic, but lifestyle choices and demographic changes.

 

Changes such as…?

The ageing population. Japan is regarded as a 'super-aged' society; the oldest in the world, with more than 28 per cent of the population 65 or older. Japan is also home to a record 80,000 centenarians and by 2036, people aged 65 and over will represent a third of the population.

 

As the country ages…?

The youth demographic which, elsewhere or in times gone by, may have propped up the drinks industry, is diminishing. The decline has been ongoing, with taxes on alcohol products making up 5% of the government’s tax revenue in 1980, but falling to 1.7% within a decade, according to The Japan Times. 

 

And?

According to the tax agency’s data, Japan’s average per adult annual intake of alcohol decreased from 100 litres per year in 1995 to 75 litres in the 2020 fiscal year.

 

So, Sake Viva!

Taking its name from the country’s national drink of sake - an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice - the campaign wants new ideas to “stimulate demand among young people”. The competition is for entrants to come up with new branding ideas, promotions and new approaches. “In this project, by asking young people to propose their own business plans, we will appeal to young people for the development and promotion of Japanese alcoholic beverages, and at the same time, we will revitalise the industry,” the initiative states.

 

The plan is…?

A tax agency official told The Japan Times: “As working from home made strides to a certain extent during the Covid-19 crisis, many people may have come to question whether they need to continue the habit of drinking with colleagues to deepen communication. If the 'new normal' takes root, that will be an additional headwind for tax revenue.”

 

What has the reaction been?

Japanese media reports the reaction has been split, with some criticism voiced about the the encouragement of drinking alcohol and of unhealthy habits.

 

Any ideas so far?

Suggestions online so far include using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create digital social venues where celebrites "perform" as virtual-reality hosts to serve drinks.