Japan Government encourages her youths to drink more alcohol to boost there economy

 

By Almustapha Nasir Adam,

The Japanese government is planning to convince its younger population to drink more alcoholic drinks as a way of growing the country economy through taxes from the brewery industries.

According to reports, recent statistics from the tax agency shows that Japanese people were drinking less in 2020 than in 1995, with numbers reducing from an annual average of 100 litres (22 gallons) to 75 litres (16 gallons).

Tax revenue from taxes on alcohol has also down over the years for Japan, the third largest economy. According to The Japan Times newspaper, it made up 8% of total revenue alcohol in 1980, but in 2020 amounted to just 1.5%.

Japan’s tax revenue from its alcoholic sales fell by around ¥110 billion (approximately $813,868,000) in 2020, and the rate and size of the drop was the largest go down in 31 years.

The World Bank says that nearly a third (29%) of Japan’s population is aged 65 and older – the highest proportion in the world.

The data has compelled the government to launch the “Sake Viva!” campaign which hopes to come up with a plan to make drinking more alcohol attractive to youths and boost the industry.

As it stands, the youth generation drinks less alcohol than their parents – a move that has hit taxes on beverages like sake (rice wine).