Yes, the Japanese are inscrutable. They're also going to get drunk a lot more often.
Japan launches contest to encourage young people to drink more alcohol
Hyder Abbasi and Mary-Ann Russon - 41m ago
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Japan's government wants young people to drink more alcohol in an effort to reverse declining sales, which it has blamed on demographic changes in the far-Eastern nation.
Japan launches contest to encourage young people to drink more alcohol
© Provided by NBC News
Japan launches contest to encourage young people to drink more alcohol
The "Saka Viva!" campaign, launched by Japan's National Tax Agency, wants young people between ages 20 and 39 to come up with new ideas to help revitalize the industry.
The agency says sales of alcoholic drinks are down due to declining birthrates, an aging population and the coronavirus pandemic. It hopes the project will encourage young people to come up with "business plans" that would help promote alcoholic beverages "among the younger generation."
The tax agency also suggests creative ways people can help promote the consumption of alcohol, such as using artificial intelligence and the metaverse.
But the response from the Japanese public has been less than enthusiastic, particularly since the trope of "drunk salary man" was far too common on social media just prior to the pandemic.
Some Twitter users have criticized the Japanese government for encouraging alcohol consumption — typically a social activity — when Japan's infection rates jumped this summer from 16,544 new Covid cases in mid-June to 231,361 cases on Aug. 16.
Others have criticized the campaign for promoting an unhealthy habit, as well as asking why they are learning about the competition from foreign newspapers, instead of domestic ones.
