In an effort to stimulate the economy, the Japanese government has urged its sober youth to begin consuming more alcoholic beverages.
This is due to the fact that the younger generation consumes less alcohol than their parents, which causes taxation on alcohol to decline.
According to Mail Online, the national tax agency is now trying to reverse the trend with a new competition called Sake Viva.
The contest asks people aged 20 to 39 to share their business ideas to help boost the consumption of alcohol among their age group. Contestants will come up with branding, promotions and even artificial intelligence plans to help increase sales.
The competition organisers said the Covid pandemic affected drinking habits among the youth, the BBC reported. This combined with an ageing population, with a third over the age of 65, has led to the slump in sales of alcohol.
In 2020, people were drinking 16 gallons of alcohol a year, while in 1995, 22 gallons a year were consumed. This has led to a slump in alcohol tax, making up just 1.7 per cent of total revenue in 2020 compared to five per cent in 1980.