Japan wants young people to drink more alcohol. It's just not sure how to convince them

[webfact]

File photo

 

By Jessie Yeung and Junko Ogura, CNN

Tokyo (CNN)The Japanese government has been hit in the pocket by an unusual problem -- its young people aren't drinking enough.

 

Since the pandemic began, bars and other premises selling alcohol have been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions, causing sales -- and liquor tax revenues -- to plummet in the world's third-largest economy.

The government's solution? Launch a contest to find new ways to encourage young people to drink more.

 

Full story: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/18/asia/japan-tax-alcohol-competition-intl-hnk/index.html

 

-- © Copyright CNN 2022-08-19

[Bluespunk]

Got to be a contender for stupidest idea of the year so far. 

[Justtaste]

The effect of alcohol, that must be a joke

[Emdog]

Part of being a "salary man" is going drinking with your workmates after normal work hours. I worked in Japan in the 1980's. Tokyo gas had their own bar in office so not to worry about "trade secrets" leaking out. Another guy wanted to go to gym "after work" but was told in no uncertain terms he was to go drinking.

Maybe things have changed enough so company does not own your soul and body during all waking hours.

[Bkk Brian]

Just now, Emdog said:

Part of being a "salary man" is going drinking with your workmates after normal work hours. I worked in Japan in the 1980's. Tokyo gas had their own bar in office so not to worry about "trade secrets" leaking out. Another guy wanted to go to gym "after work" but was told in no uncertain terms he was to go drinking.

Maybe things have changed enough so company does not own your soul and body during all waking hours.

I watched a piece on the BBC on this yesterday and they were describing exactly what you just said but went further onto to talk about how many young employees actually died as a result of alcohol poisoning because of this almost forced practise

[wombat]

Maybe Japan could take a leaf out of the  Thailand book and take weed off the narcotics list to kick start their economy?

That has to be a better solution than to encourage their population to drink.

[vandeventer]

I wish the government would have said this to me when I was young. Who knows maybe they might have lower the drinking age?

[spidermike007]

It seems the youth in Japan have many other pursuits in life besides getting sloppy drunk. Perhaps witnessing a generation or two of boring and realtovely unfulfilled salarymen has taught them something about the meaning of life? Kudos to them. Kudos to the youth. 

[xtrnuno41]

Incredible, you MUST drink for income of government, really craziest thing i ever heard/red.

[Ralf001]

3 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

I watched a piece on the BBC on this yesterday and they were describing exactly what you just said but went further onto to talk about how many young employees actually died as a result of alcohol poisoning because of this almost forced practise

Wish my employer forced me to drink.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

4 hours ago, Emdog said:

Part of being a "salary man" is going drinking with your workmates after normal work hours. I worked in Japan in the 1980's. Tokyo gas had their own bar in office so not to worry about "trade secrets" leaking out. Another guy wanted to go to gym "after work" but was told in no uncertain terms he was to go drinking.

Maybe things have changed enough so company does not own your soul and body during all waking hours.

We were reminiscing today at a work lunch about how different it was in the past. Long lunches, everyone went out on a Friday night, etc. Now not many people do including the young ones. Those that do drink a lot less in general. I was never a big drinker so it suits me but I think maybe computerisation of the office work force has dimmed sociability. 

Get on a train everyone's looking at their phone. In the work place if not working people probably like to look at the internet rather than get up to the water cooler and <deleted> on about football. 

Thanks to ongoing covid stuff workers are even more separated working from home. I love working from home though.  Going to work is a drag.

[digger70]

Yep no matter where one goes in the world Everything and Everyone , It's Always about Money.

[Burma Bill]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Launch a contest to find new ways to encourage young people to drink more.

[Hanaguma]

Longtime Japan resident here.

 

The drinking culture HAS changed dramatically in the past 10 years or so.  Particularly where women are concerned, a lot of companies are VERY careful about what happens at after work. Any attempt to force people to drink is frowned upon.  Some very traditional companies do still follow the old trend, but it is becoming increasingly rare. 

 

Among young people/students, they just arent into booze.  I am disappointed that I rarely see my students with hangovers. They seem completely addicted to their smart phones instead.  Ban the smart phone and the drinking will commence again IMHO. 

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, Emdog said:

Maybe things have changed enough so company does not own your soul and body during all waking hours.

That bit remains the same as a salary person... you must conform.

However the new generation of underlings are social drinkers and do not partake in drink till you drop mentality...

With covid closing all the bars they have adopted other social events to fill their spare time, also reforms have restricted companies from dictating what workers do after hours.

[bendejo]

Japan has been wringing its hands for a few years now that it's younger people are not making enough babies.  Maybe they think with a few drinks . . .

 

 

[DJ54]

Thought it was to help increase population do to aging society. 555

[Hanaguma]

Japan as a society has decided to commit slow suicide.  Rather than make babies or allow immigration, they would rather die off slowly, but as pure descendents of the Gods. 

 

Young people arent interested in dating or relationships as a rule. There is no incentive to do either.  The boys I teach seem less and less masculine or interested in girls as time goes by. They would rather play games and "take care of themselves" using porn.   It blows my mind to see university aged young men playing Yu Gi Yoh type card games in the cafeteria.

 

It is very different from when I first arrived in the early 90s.  The population is now aging to an extent that the demographic death spiral is pretty much irreversable. 

[connda]

They spend a generation trying to convince Japanese men not to be alcoholic, then they sudden decide that young Japanese men and women should embrace alcoholism for profit.

 

[connda]

On 8/19/2022 at 4:09 PM, Fat is a type of crazy said:

We were reminiscing today at a work lunch about how different it was in the past. Long lunches, everyone went out on a Friday night, etc. Now not many people do including the young ones. Those that do drink a lot less in general. I was never a big drinker so it suits me but I think maybe computerisation of the office work force has dimmed sociability. 

Get on a train everyone's looking at their phone. In the work place if not working people probably like to look at the internet rather than get up to the water cooler and <deleted> on about football. 

Thanks to ongoing covid stuff workers are even more separated working from home. I love working from home though.  Going to work is a drag.

I was in Japan in the 80s.  It rocked.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

17 minutes ago, connda said:

I was in Japan in the 80s.  It rocked.

I can relate to that. Went in the early nineties. Unique and different country.