Whereas most international locations would welcome sobriety amongst their youth, Japan has veered in the other way: with a marketing campaign for them to drink extra alcohol.

The east-Asian nation’s tax company is requesting concepts on methods to tempt youthful residents to step up their tippling because the finance ministry frets over the fiscal implications of generational change.

The unorthodox government-backed “Sake Viva!” contest closes in early September and calls on individuals aged between 20 and 39 to assist devise enterprise concepts to revitalise an trade hit by demographic adjustments, the coronavirus pandemic and diminishing curiosity.

The deliberate intervention follows the failure of Japan’s drinks trade, regardless of all its advertising and marketing powers, to stem a long-term slide in Japanese alcohol consumption that started nicely over a decade earlier than the pandemic.

Taxes on alcohol merchandise accounted for three per cent of the federal government’s tax income in 2011, however had fallen to 2 per cent by 2020, in line with the tax company. Japan’s authorities runs a persistent funds deficit and has whole money owed equal to greater than twice the nation’s gross home product.

A fall within the whole quantity of alcohol consumed in Japan was inevitable as soon as the indigenous inhabitants started to shrink over a decade in the past and the proportion of residents aged over 65 elevated to greater than 1 / 4 of the nation eight years in the past.

In line with figures launched by the tax company, Japan’s common per grownup annual consumption of booze has dropped from 100 litres per 12 months in 1995 to 75 litres within the 2020 fiscal 12 months.

The World Well being Group in 2018 put Japan’s annual per capita consuming charge — expressed when it comes to pure alcohol — at eight litres a 12 months, greater than China’s 7.2 litres however lower than the UK’s 11.4.

Youthful Japanese individuals, in frequent with many others of their era elsewhere on this planet, drink much less closely than their forebears and more and more don’t drink in any respect.

“Sake Viva!” is the most recent in a protracted historical past of schemes designed to offset the results of Japan’s inhabitants ageing and shrinking, in addition to altering attitudes in direction of well being and consumption.

The tax company launched an “Get pleasure from Sake!” mission early this 12 months and requested concepts for occasions to advertise the sale of alcoholic drinks.

The newest contest goals to attract out concepts that acknowledge elementary shifts in way of life — not simply these attributable to the coronavirus pandemic, but additionally longer-term components weighing on Japan’s consuming habits.

Organisers hope that entrants will provide you with “new merchandise and designs” in addition to plans to encourage consuming at house. In addition they hope to search out methods to make use of the metaverse to generate the type of bonhomie that may historically result in opening a bottle.

Japan’s well being ministry mentioned it had not co-operated with the tax company on its contest however was in shut common contact with it over alcohol and well being points. The ministry added that it anticipated the marketing campaign to be conscious of the “applicable quantity of alcohol consumption” that may keep away from main well being issues.