A new contest launched by the Japanese government asks the younger generation to come up with ideas to boost the consumption of alcoholic drinks.
In an effort to revitalize alcohol consumption, Japan has launched a nationwide competition calling for inviting ideas to motivate citizens to drink more alcohol.
Alcoholic beverages were severely hit by a fall in tax revenues after a change in lifestyle among the young generation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Run by the National Tax Agency (NTA), the “The Sake Viva!” campaign asks people between 20 and 39 years old to propose “new products and designs,” as well as innovative ways to promote home drinking to boost the popularity of alcoholic drinks. The Japanese website JiJi.com reports that people are also encouraged to explore sales methods in the metaverse.
According to the Japan Times, the country has reported the biggest fall in revenues from alcohol tax in 31 years. The Japanese NTA reports that the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the country had decreased from an yearly average of 100 liters per person in 1995 to only 75 liters in 2020. In 2020, alcohol taxes accounted for 1.7% of Japan’s total tax revenue, a decrease of 3% if compared to 2011 and of 5% if compared to 1980. Moreover, total alcohol tax revenue in 2020 fell by more than ¥110bn compared with 2019.
As working from home made strides to a certain extent during the Covid 19 crisis, many people may have come to question whether they need to continue the habit of drinking with colleagues to deepen communication. If the ‘new normal’ takes root, that will be an additional headwind for tax revenue.
National Tax Agency
Beer consumption was particularly hit in the past 2 years, with a decrease of 20% in beer sales volume. According to the Japanese Kirin brewery, in 2020 the total beer consumption per person was only 55 bottles, minus 9.1% compared to 2019.
The nationwide competition runs until 9 September. The gala awards ceremony will take place in Tokyo on 10 November, and the NTA will support the commercialisation of the ideas from the winner.
