Japan urges its young people to drink more to boost economy

*本文系英媒BBC新聞上月19日的報(bào)道，作者系Malu Cursino。本人將其翻譯為中文并附帶原文上傳，旨在學(xué)習(xí)與練習(xí)英語，并不確保翻譯的準(zhǔn)確性。本文不含與我國政治（包括香港特區(qū)、臺(tái)灣地區(qū)）直接相關(guān)的內(nèi)容，不涉及敏感內(nèi)容。

By Malu Cursino

BBC News 2022-8-19

Japan's young adults are a sober bunch - something authorities are hoping to change with a new campaign.

The younger generation drinks less alcohol than their parents - a move that has hit taxes from beverages like sake (rice wine).

So the national tax agency has stepped in with a national competition to come up with ideas to reverse the trend.

The "Sake Viva!" campaign hopes to come up with a plan to make drinking more attractive - and boost the industry.

The contest asks 20 to 39-year-olds to share their business ideas to kick-start demand among their peers - whether it's for Japanese sake, shochu, whisky, beer or wine.

The group running the competition for the tax authority says new habits - partly formed during the Covid pandemic - and an ageing population have led to a decline in alcohol sales.

It wants contestants to come up with promotions, branding, and even cutting-edge plans involving artificial intelligence.

Japanese media say the reaction has been mixed, with some criticism about the bid to promote an unhealthy habit. But others have posted quirky ideas online - such as famous actresses "performing" as virtual-reality hostesses in digital clubs.

Contestants have until the end of September to put forward their ideas. The best plans will then be developed with help from experts before the final proposals are presented in November.

The campaign's website says Japan's alcohol market is shrinking and the country's older demographic - alongside declining birth rates - is a significant factor behind it.

Recent figures from the tax agency show that people were drinking less in 2020 than in 1995, with numbers plummeting from an annual average of 100 litres (22 gallons) to 75 litres (16 gallons) per adult.

Tax revenue from taxes on alcohol has also shrunk over the years. According to The Japan Times newspaper, it made up 5% of total revenue in 1980, but in 2020 amounts to just 1.7%.

The World Bank estimates that nearly a third (29%) of Japan's population is aged 65 and older - the highest proportion in the world.

Concerns about the future of sake is not the only problem that poses for Japan's economy - there are worries about the supply of younger staff for certain types of jobs, and care for the elderly in the future.

日本力勸本國年輕人多喝酒以增長(zhǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)

作者M(jìn)alu Cursino

BBC新聞 2022-8-19

日本年輕人是清醒未醉的群體——一些部門正希望用一場(chǎng)活動(dòng)改變這個(gè)情況。

年輕的一代比他們父母輩更少喝酒——這種行為已經(jīng)打擊了酒水例如清酒（米酒）的稅收。

所以國家稅收部門提出了國家競(jìng)賽的主意來介入，以扭轉(zhuǎn)趨勢(shì)。

“清酒萬歲”活動(dòng)希望以一項(xiàng)計(jì)劃讓將飲酒變得更加吸引人——以及提振行業(yè)。

競(jìng)賽邀請(qǐng)20至39歲的人分享他們的商業(yè)想法，來刺激他們平輩中的需求——不論這是關(guān)于日本清酒、燒酒、威士忌、啤酒還是葡萄酒的。

運(yùn)行活動(dòng)的稅務(wù)部門組織說明了新的習(xí)慣——部分成型在新冠大流行期間——人口老齡化導(dǎo)致了酒類銷售的下降。

活動(dòng)希望參賽選手們提出促消活動(dòng)、品牌推廣甚至涉及人工智能的領(lǐng)先計(jì)劃。

日本媒體報(bào)道，活動(dòng)反響是復(fù)雜的，一些人批評(píng)這種努力是在倡導(dǎo)不健康的習(xí)慣。但是另外的人在網(wǎng)上放出了一些奇怪的主意，例如讓知名女星在數(shù)字俱樂部中表演虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)的侍酒員。

參賽者需要在九月底前提交他們的想法。在最終建議書十一月展示前，最好的計(jì)劃將在專家的幫助下被制定。

活動(dòng)的官網(wǎng)顯示，日本的酒水市場(chǎng)正在收縮，國家的老年人口——與減少的出生率——是這背后的重要因素。

來自稅務(wù)部門的最近數(shù)字顯示，人們?cè)?020年喝的酒少于1995年，數(shù)字從每年平均100公升（22加侖）驟然下跌到75公升（16加侖）。

稅務(wù)部門的酒類收入多年以來也在收縮。根據(jù)日本時(shí)報(bào)，它在1980年占稅務(wù)總收入的5%，但在2020年只達(dá)到了1.7%。

世界銀行估計(jì)幾乎三分之一（29%）的日本人口歲數(shù)超過65歲——是世界上最高的比例。

對(duì)清酒未來的擔(dān)憂不是日本經(jīng)濟(jì)唯一的問題——人們還擔(dān)心特定崗位年輕職工的供應(yīng)，以及在未來對(duì)老年人的照顧。