Japan’s Bid to Get Young to Drink More Meets Online Backlash
- Tax agency competition seeks ideas to boost consumption
- Twitter users say sober youth should be applauded instead
Customers at a bar in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.
Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/BloombergA campaign by Japan’s tax agency to prop up alcohol revenue by encouraging young people to drink up has met fierce backlash on social media, with users criticizing the taxman for dictating people’s lifestyle choices.
The National Tax Agency’s “Sake Viva!” idea competition, which is seeking business plans from young people or groups to help “revitalize” the nation’s liquor industry, was launched in July and gained traction on Twitter this week after local and overseas media outlets reported the move.