‘Sake Viva!’: Japan launches contest to get more adults drinking

The government of Japan is trying to generate more tax revenue. So it launched a new, nationwide competition to try and get more young adults drinking alcohol.

The name of the campaign is Sake Viva!

Similar to most other developed countries, young adults in Japan drink less than their parents and grandparents did. This leads to falling liquor tax revenues.

In 2020, Japan took in more than $800 million fewer from liquor sales. The Japanese government hopes the Sake Viva! contest can help turn things around.

The contest is being run by Japan’s tax agency. People ages 20-39 are encouraged to submit business plans to help revive the country’s drinking culture, which was long an integral part of Japanese corporate life.

Critics are skeptical of the idea, asking why a government would encourage more drinking in its young adults, not less.

But the Japanese government needs money, so it’s willing to give it a shot.

Not only is tax revenue from liquor sales down, Japan’s tourism industry is struggling to survive the country’s stringent Covid protocols for tourists. Japan lifted bans on foreign travelers to the country in June. However, travelers are only allowed in for monitored group tours, not as individual tourists.

Fewer than 8,000 international tourists visited Japan in July.