Japan Draws Up Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption

Jiji Press

10:09 JST, February 20, 2024

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Japan’s health ministry on Monday rolled out its first guidelines on alcohol consumption, aiming to reduce associated health risks.

The guidelines set out the amount of alcohol consumed that raises the risk of developing diseases and conditions in an effort to encourage people to drink in moderation.

The amount of pure alcohol that raises the risk of lifestyle diseases is at least 40 grams for men and 20 grams for women per day, according to the guidelines. In terms of the type of drink, 20 grams of pure alcohol is equivalent to one 500-milliliter bottle of beer or one 180-milliliter cup of sake.

The amount of pure alcohol that increases the risk of bowel cancer is 20 grams per day for both men and women.

The ministry warned that even a small amount of alcohol consumption raises the risk of high blood pressure for both men and women, esophagus cancer for men and hemorrhagic stroke for women.

To reduce health risks, the ministry said that people should eat something either before or while consuming alcoholic beverages, drink water between alcoholic drinks and take time off from drinking during the week.

It also urged against heavy drinking in a short period, forcing other people to consume alcohol and drinking to remedy high anxiety levels or sleep deprivation.

The amount of alcohol consumption per adult in Japan has declined after hitting its peak in 1992, according to the ministry and others. But the number of people that have developed alcoholism was nearly unchanged in 2017, compared with 1996, at 46,000.