The Sake Viva! campaign, which is being run by the National Tax Agency (NTA), asks 20- to 39-year-olds to come up with proposals to help revitalise the popularity of alcoholic drinks, which have fallen out of favour because of lifestyle changes during the coronavirus pandemic and among young people.
Taxes on alcohol accounted for 1.7% of Japan’s tax revenue in 2020, down from 3% in 2011 and 5% in 1980.
There was a particularly steep decline in beer consumption, with sales volume down 20% to less than 1.8bn litres.
“Please, drink this poison! Our healthcare industry will thank you later!” This reeks of “4 out of 5 Doctors prefer Marlboro!” bullshit.
Modern research shows that there is no safe amount of alcohol to consume. It’s always bad for you, physically. This doesn’t mean you need to be a tee-totaler (I’m not), and it can bring great social benefits. But shoving it in people’s faces and pretending it’s not harmful at all is just wrong. Moderation in all things.