Alcohol consumption in Japan has been seeing a downward trend since the 1990s according to the country’s health ministry, with the recent Covid-19 restrictions contributing by keeping many people away from visiting Japan’s izakaya or pub businesses. Bizarrely, this is something that the Japanese government is trying to tackle by encouraging more youths to actually consume more alcohol. Get this, the National Tax Agency of Japan is holding out an online contest called the ‘Sake Viva!’ to get young Japanese adults to drink more!
As reported by NPR, the contest asks youths to submit business plans that can lure a new generation into drinking more in order to save the country’s sake, beer and liquor makers that are facing challenges to stay afloat. According to the contest’s official website, the National Tax Agency said that the domestic alcoholic beverage market is shrinking due to demographic changes such as the declining birthrate and ageing population.
Moreover, the Sake Viva! contest is open to the Japanese aged 20 to 39, with a 9 September 2022 deadline for submission. Contest submissions that make it to the final round will be judged in person in Tokyo on 10 November 2022.
Understandably, the contest received backlash from the public with many people online questioning why the government is encouraging more people to drink alcohol. More so, considering how the Japanese government previously encouraged people to drink responsibly or abstain from consuming alcohol.
What do you guys think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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