Japan is telling its citizens to drink more alcohol. The Japanese government has now launched a nationwide competition calling for ideas to encourage the Japanese people to drink more alcohol. The national tax agency has said that alcohol consumption in Japan apparently has fallen. This has gotten the Japanese government very worried. From an average of 100 liters of alcohol consumption per person in 1995, the alcohol consumption in Japan has fallen to just 75 liters per person for the year 2020. The reason for the change in attitude towards alcohol is the evolving habits of young towards a healthier lifestyle where they want to give up on alcohol to lead a much better life. However, this has got the Japanese government very worried because this has also hit the tax revenues that the government is making.
Back in 1980, the tax collection on alcohol was almost about 5% of the total revenue that the government earned. In 2011, from 5% the alcohol tax revenue dropped to just 3 % of the total revenue. In the year 2020 revenue from alcohol taxation came down to just 1.7% prompting the Japanese government to swing into action.
The Sake Viva! Campaign which will run till the 9th of September calls for new products, designs as well as a way to promote home drinking. The beer consumption in particular has taken a bit of a deep dive with sale volumes down by almost 20%. The Japanese health ministry meanwhile has said that it hopes the campaign will also remind people to remember to drink only the appropriate amount of alcohol.