Japan has launched a ‘Sake Viva!’ campaign in the hope of finding ways to make drinking more attractive, and boost the liquor industry.
The national competition is the brainchild of Japan’s tax agency, according to the BBC.
The contest asks people between 20 and 39 to share their business ideas to kick-start demand among their peers, whether for Japanese sake, shochu, whiskey, beer or wine.
The group running the competition for the tax authority says new habits – partly formed during the Covid pandemic – and an ageing population have led to a decline in alcohol sales.
The BBC cites Japanese media as saying the reaction has been mixed, with some criticising the campaign on the grounds of its promoting an unhealthy habit.
The report says recent figures from the tax agency show that people were drinking less in 2020 than in 1995, with numbers falling from 100 litres a year to 75 litres.
Tax revenue from alcohol sales has also shrunk. According to The Japan Times newspaper, alcohol taxes made up 5% of total revenue in 1980, but in 2020 amounted to just 1.7%.