The Sake Viva! The campaign, run by the National Tax Agency (NTA), is asking 20 to 39-year-olds to submit proposals to help revive the popularity of spirits, which have fallen out of favor due to lifestyle changes in during the coronavirus pandemic and among young people. The competition, which runs until September 9, calls for “new products and designs” as well as ways to promote consumption at home. Participants are also encouraged to explore sales methods using the metaverse, according to local website JiJi.com. The NTA reported that alcohol consumption in Japan has fallen from an average of 100 liters per person per year in 1995 to 75 liters in 2020. The decline in alcohol sales has hit Japan’s budget, which already has a deficit of more than ¥48 trillion ( £290bn) Alcohol taxes accounted for 1.7% of Japan’s tax revenue in 2020, down from 3% in 2011 and 5% in 1980. Total alcohol tax revenue in fiscal year 2020 fell by more than ¥110 billion to 1, ¥1 trillion, compared with the previous year, the NTA said earlier this month. It was the biggest drop in alcohol tax revenue in 31 years, according to the Japan Times. “As working from home has made strides to some extent during the Covid 19 crisis, many people may be wondering whether they should continue the habit of drinking with colleagues to deepen communication,” said an official from agency in the English language. newspaper of the time. “If the ‘new normal’ takes root, this will be an additional headwind for tax revenues.” There was a particularly sharp decline in beer consumption, with sales volume falling by 20% to less than 1.8 billion litres. Subscribe to the Business Today daily email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter @BusinessDesk Kirin Brewery, which produces Kirin lager and Ichiban Shibori, said per capita beer consumption in Japan totaled about 55 bottles in 2020, down 9.1 percent from the previous year. Japan’s health ministry said it hoped the campaign would also remind people to remember to drink only the “appropriate amount of alcohol”. The competition’s finalists will be invited to a gala awards ceremony in Tokyo on November 10, and the tax office said it would support the commercialization of the winner’s ideas.
