In an interesting reversal of trends, Japan is asking its young people to drink more alcohol.
What happened?
Japan wants more of its young people to drink alcohol because it has been discovered that less alcohol is consumed by the younger generation than their parents especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Why is this important?
The lack of consumption of alcohol has reduced the revenue gotten from alcoholic beverages.
To generate more revenue, Japan’s national tax agency intervened and held a national competition.
The “Sake Viva!” initiative asks young people to come up with strategies and ideas to make drinking more appealing to the younger generation. The contest is for those aged 20-39 years.
The National Tax Agency website says, “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,”
“In this project, by asking young people to propose their business plans, we will appeal to young people for the development and promotion of Japanese alcoholic beverages, and at the same time, we will revitalize the industry by announcing excellent plans.”
