The Decline of Alcohol Consumption in Japan (1990-2024): An Analysis of Socio-cultural Changes in Japanese Society
Keywords:
alcohol consumption, Japanese society, lifestyle, social change, cultureAbstract
Drinking alcohol is an inseparable habit from Japanese society because it is believed to strengthen social bonds. However, since the 1990s, the level of alcohol consumption in Japan has continued to decline, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in 2020. Using data from Ministry of Finance Japan, National Tax Agency Japan, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, National Police Agency, the news articles and related literature, this research examines how the decline in alcohol consumption in Japan began and further analyses whether the drinking culture commonly practiced by Japanese society has undergone changes. Through Talcott Parsons’ structural functional theory, it is explained that the decline of alcohol consumption in Japan is a process towards a new equilibrium in Japan’s drinking culture. As such, this research contributes to the study of the dynamics of alcohol consumption trends in Japan due to social change in Japanese society. The social change analysis documents the ‘perception change’ through three external factors that determine Japanese people’s decision to change their alcohol consumption trend, which is characterized by a gradual decline in alcohol consumption in Japan. The change in Japanese society’s view of alcohol consumption has led to a new dynamic in the current drinking culture, but it does not mean abandoning it altogether.
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