Japan government wants young people to drink more alcohol. Yes, for real

Imagine having a government that asks you to drink more. Yes, we are talking about alcohol here. Sounds like a dream? Well, this dream is a reality in Japan.

The Japanese government is facing some real financial issues because of a very strange reason: the young population isn’t consuming enough alcohol.

What is the problem? Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, has been noticing a decline in alcohol sales.Since the beginning of the pandemic, the sale of alcohol has decreased significantly in Japan. This has affected the sales and further liquor tax revenues.

What is the solution? The Japanese government has now decided to boost liquor sales with different means. They are launching a contest to encourage young people to drink more.

The government has launched a campaign named “Sake Viva.” It will be managed by the National Tax Agency. The agency will invite participants to submit ideas that can increase demand among young people.

These ideas will include new services, promotional methods, products, designs and sales techniques. Methods like artificial intelligence and metaverse will also be used.

"The domestic alcoholic beverage market is shrinking due to demographic changes such as the declining birthrate and ageing population and lifestyle changes due to the impact of Covid-19," said the website.

The competition will be aimed at appealing younger generations to restart the industry.

What are the reactions? This might sound like a golden offer but people in Japan and across the world are not happy with the scheme. The idea has been criticised for promoting drinking and unhealthy habits.

Here are some Twitter reactions:

If you want proof that governments the world over care far more about money than they do about health, consider that in Japan they are actively encouraging more people to drink alcohol so they can tax them for it.

— Scot Chegg 🌸💜 (@midgard_misfit) August 18, 2022

So Japan is apparently trying to encourage people to drink more alcohol in order to combat decreasing revenues. This is what insanity looks like. A total disregard for health and instead focusing on profit and growth. #insane

— Chantal Burns 🇺🇦 (@ChantalBurns) August 18, 2022

So, alcohol consumption in Japan had fallen from an average of 100 litres a person a year in 1995 to 75 litres in 2020. Instead of celebrating the positive impact on health and society - they want to find ways to boost sales/consumption to increase alcohol tax revenue - shocked! https://t.co/Rwgd35Uqmx

— Angela King HPO (she/her) (@AngelaKing5) August 19, 2022

How do govt increase revenue? Making its citizens drink alcohol? Yes. This is what Japan is up to. It has launched a national wide competition to encourage young people to drink more alcohol.The competition calls for"new product and designs".#japan #alcohol #health

— Tehneyat Sadaf (@TehneyatS) August 19, 2022

Japan wants to destroy its future. Can't they see what alcohol is doing in south africa🙆🏿‍♀️🤔

— Mma_Motlotlegi🇿🇦🇧🇼💎 (@Keit_Mangope) August 19, 2022