Among the casualties of the pandemic is one that many young people in Japan say they do not miss: the drinking culture.

Sobriety, they have decided after two years of less socialising and night crawling, has its advantages. And that’s why a new message from the Japanese government — drink up! — seems to be putting few in the spirit.

To bolster its ailing alcohol industry, Japan’s National Tax Agency has kicked off a contest inviting those ages 20 to 39 to submit ideas for encouraging people to consume more alcohol.

It named the project after the national beverage: “Sake Viva!” The agency says it hopes to “revitalise the industry” with the contest, whose winner is to be selected in a tournament later this year.

But its entreaty is clashing with more than two years of actions by the government, which discouraged alcohol sales at restaurants and bars and put up signs forbidding drinking in parks and in the streets.

With Japan reaching new highs in coronavirus infections, including over 255,000 new cases on Thursday, many young people are wondering why the government is now saying it’s OK to go out and drink.

“The media is announcing record Covid cases, while restaurants are like, don’t talk while eating, wear a mask,” said Chika Kato, a 27-year-old consultant in Tokyo.

“But the government is at the same time asking us to go all out and drink.” “It’s an awkward situation,” she added. “Who do I listen to?”

To some, any official encouragement to drink — pandemic or not — is a bad idea.

“I don’t think it is a good thing to make people who don’t drink, drink,” said Mima Matsumaru, 25, who works in advertising.

After using the pandemic as a chance to stop drinking, she said she didn’t miss it very much anyway.

New York Times News Service