Operation “Saké Viva!” In Japan, the tax authorities are starting a campaign aimed at encouraging young Japanese to drink more alcohol, because the less they drink, the less the state earns, reports Euronews, reports Rador.

The two main reasons for the decline in alcohol consumption are the pandemic and demographics: according to the World Bank, 29% of the population is over 65 with a very low birth rate compared to the average.

At the same time, according to some forecasts, the population of Japan may decrease by 30% and reach 90 million inhabitants (against 130 million today).

Less alcohol means less state income

On a Saturday night in Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya district, the bars are full and the alcohol glasses are empty. The situation doesn’t sit well with Japan’s government, which has launched a competition to find slogans or ideas to make alcohol more attractive to young people aged 20 to 39, in a country where alcohol advertising is ubiquitous.

For example, Kirin Brewery, which produces Kirin Lager and Ichiban Shibori, said per capita beer consumption in Japan was about 55 bottles in 2020, down 9.1% from the previous year.

And even if more than two years have passed since the beginning of the pandemic, last Thursday more than 255 thousand cases of coronavirus were registered in the country, and this situation makes some young people not very agree with the government’s initiative.

“The press is reporting record Covid cases and restaurants are saying don’t talk while eating, wear a mask,” said Chika Kato, 27, a consultant in Tokyo. “But at the same time, the government is asking us to go out and drink.”

Reduction in revenue from alcohol tax, the worst in the last 30 years

But for this, the authorities need ideas, promotion, perspectives. Everything is legal for the Saké Viva campaign. Even the metaverse and artificial intelligence. Until September 9, the participants must present their projects aimed at convincing the younger generation to learn the pleasure of drinking alcoholic beverages.

An award ceremony will be held in November, that is, the SFS will award a grant to the best project.

To give an idea of ​​declining incomes, in 1995 the average Japanese drank about 100 liters of alcohol per year, compared to 75 liters per adult in 2020. According to the tax authorities, tax revenue from alcohol has fallen from 5% in 1980 to 1.7% in 2020. According to the Japan Times, the decline in alcohol tax revenue in 2020 and 2021 was the worst in 31 years.

Japan is looking for ways to reduce its debt, and increasing alcohol sales is part of that strategy.

“We in no way promote excessive alcohol consumption”

For professionals, after months of Covid-19, overnight closures, etc., this is great news. For others, such as Noboru Hosaka, director of the Alcohol Free Association, “this is a policy that is not good for the country.” But even economist Hidetomi Tanaka considers the initiative an “irresponsible and unorthodox” campaign.

According to the Ministry of Health of Japan, about a million Japanese suffer from alcoholism, and 9.8 are at risk.

Organizers of the competition said that drunkenness was not the aim, adding that people should only drink “appropriate amounts” and take “common sense” measures to avoid contracting the virus.

“We do not in any way promote excessive drinking among young people,” said Ryo Tsukamoto, a spokesman for the agency’s alcohol tax division.