Popular images of drinking in Japan often involve office workers sharing toasts and casting off their inhibitions. But there's a hidden dark side: more and more women in Japan are drinking heavily, some to a dangerous degree, and becoming addicts in the process.
Shino Usui, a pharmacist and organizer of an alcoholism recovery peer group at a hospital in western Japan, can attest to the fact that the ratio of female drinkers in the country is rising at an alarming rate.
As someone who used to hit the bottle daily, she recognizes that combating alcoholism as a woman in a society where men are normally seen as the heavy drinkers has become a sensitive, often shameful topic.
Health experts say that due to hormonal influences, women are more prone to becoming alcoholics in the short term.
Alcoholism is socially stigmatized as a male disease in Japan, and there are few recovery programs designed to address the concerns and experiences of women.
According to the health ministry, the number of outpatients with alcohol dependency was approximately 108,000 in fiscal 2021. The percentage of those who drink in amounts that increase the risk of lifestyle-related diseases was 14.1 percent for men and 9.5 percent for women in 2023. The ratio for the latter increased over a decade.
On a recent day at Sanko Hospital, a facility for addiction treatment in the port city of Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku, a group of women attending one such program raised paper cups of green tea in a toast.
Women belonging to a branch of the All Nippon Abstinence Association call themselves "amethysts." In the West, the gemstones are traditionally believed to offer protection against drunkenness.
The Ametalk! program has been held every week at the Sanko hospital since it began last October. It's named after a popular Japanese TV comedy.
"We need a place where women can talk about their unique problems and laugh with each other," said Usui, 48.
As they struggle with sobriety, the women share their experiences, including episodes about trying to conceal their problem drinking from family and friends.
One participant revealed that she opens her "chuhai" shochu cans as trains pass outside her home to avoid her husband hearing the sound of the pull tabs.
Others tell anecdotes about being shamed for being female alcoholics, or how they avoid other alcoholics peer groups where the majority are men.
"In groups like that, I can't say that I get so wasted that I sometimes get urinary incontinence," said one woman.
At the age of 31, Usui says her drinking increased drastically due to stress from her job, housework and childcare, not to mention the death of her father. She would drink about four pints a day -- the equivalent of one 720-milliliter bottle of sake.
Since joining the group, she has been sober for four years.
"Addiction cannot be overcome alone. This program is for women, those who had no choice but to turn to alcohol, so they can speak openly about their experiences without feeling shame and start living their best lives again," Usui said.
One woman in her 40s began drinking beer in her 20s and could not give it up. She continued to deny her addiction for 17 years, despite her mother's efforts to persuade her to seek professional help.
"I was afraid to admit it because I saw it as something that happens to men," she said, adding that she joined the program because "women are easy to talk to and we can do our best together."
Shun Umino, director of Sanko Hospital, noted that the number of female drinkers has been increasing since the early 2000s. He says the increase is attributable to more drink ads targeting women, as well as the stresses of work and childrearing for women joining the workforce.
Women with drinking problems often struggle with traumatic experiences such as eating disorders, depression, and sexual assault and abuse.
"To achieve recovery, it's essential to address the individual patient by taking into account gender differences. We also have to raise awareness to eliminate prejudice against addiction," Umino said.
© KYODO
24 Comments
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GuruMick
Australian advertising law prevents showing changes in "atmosphere or fun times ' on commercials showing alcohol.
Changes in people , smiling, communicating, similarly outlawed.
Certainly not the case here in Japan, a drinkers paradise if you consider access and price.
Garlic eater
The Japanese government literally ran a national contest in 2022 to encourage young people to drink more, because declining alcohol consumption was hurting tax revenue.
Name of campaign: 「サケビバ！(Sake Viva!)」
Organizer: National Tax Agency (国税庁, Kokuzeichō)
Launch: 2022
Target: Young adults aged 20 to 39
Stated objective: Encourage ideas to make drinking alcohol more appealing to young people, including marketing, branding, online promotion, and business models for alcohol products.
sakurasuki
But JGovt want young people to drink more alcohol, for economy.
What about health, well being and addiction? Doesn't matter.
https://www.timeout.com/news/japan-is-asking-its-young-people-to-drink-more-booze-081822
Claire
Unfortunately, this is a rising problem worldwide. For the first time in history, women are drinking more than men. It's a coping mechanism. Women are trying to balance it all. A career, child rearing, financial worries, social expectations, the list is endless. It's a quick fix that can easily get out of hand. Definitely an issue that does need to be addressed.
sakurasuki
@Claire
From your statement it seems only problem from women that have family and job, so it won't happen to childless single female?
Garlic eater
The “issue that needs to be addressed” is the J-gov actively encouraging it and profiting from it.
WoodyLee
Simple,
1- Stop going with friends to snack bars or Izakayas and go to family or non alcohol serving places to entertain yourself.
2- Surround yourself with non alcoholics.
3- Keep busy pick up a hobby or a sport with a group even taking long walks in parks helps.
4- Turn down all invitations to go for an event were alcohol is served.
5- Watch Vid. on YouTube and see what damages Alcohol does to your Brains, Livers, and overall functions of you systems you will be shocked to learn that Alcohol is a POISEN.
Best of luck
tora
And it's time to get rid of all forms of alcohol advertising (most of it seems to feature beautiful young women).
WoodyLee
""Liquor Tax:
Beer: The tax rate on beer is being reduced in stages, with the goal of unifying it with other beverages like "happoshu" and "new genre" at 157 yen/liter by 2026.
Happoshu and "New Genre": These beverages had a higher tax rate but are being reduced in stages to align with the new beer tax rate.
Sake: The liquor tax for sake is 252.90 yen per liter.
Shochu: Shochu (Groups A and B) has a tax rate of 446.58 yen per liter.
Spirits (Whisky, Brandy): The rate is 370,000 yen/kl plus 10,000 yen/kl for each percentage point above 37% ABV.
Wine: The tax rate for wine is being increased in two phases to match the reduced tax rate for sake (100 yen/liter).
Other Beverages: Rates vary based on alcohol content and type, with details available from Japan Customs.
Consumption Tax:
A 10% consumption tax is applied to all alcoholic beverages, in addition to the liquor tax.""
This the source of the problem.
The Japanese government encourages and gives subsidies with tax free periods to new brewery's, alcohol is a major TAX revenues and the general public are the victims.
Kumagaijin
Yes, Japan really is a drinkers paradise. Advertisers have increasingly been targeting women in recent years and making those cocktail and chu-hi containers very tasty looking. One might even say they are targeting children. In Canada, its hard to find a bottle of wine for under $20, while in Japan, I can buy some Chilean Chardonnay for 400 Yen. Or, I can buy some StrongZero 9% Grapefruit (my go-to drink) for under 200 Yen. I have tried to cut back my alcohol intake recently, but much support here for gaijin.
carp_boya
I’ve gradually cut back on alcohol consumption the to point where I never drink at home. But all of my friends and coworkers drink, so it’s hard to avoid it. Even when I go to events for my kids, their friends’ parents all drink so I feel I need to as well.
Mr Kipling
Paradise? It has some good points but the beer is almost all the same generic rice lager.
Peter Viersa
If the cheapest bottle of wine or happoshu costs less than an apple or 2 oranges, no wonder people drink so much here. Besides, for government it is good because they get the tax and it is easy control population which is so much dependent on alcohol.
Disillusioned
Personally, I haven't drunk alcohol for many years and do not miss it at all. I've been through the stigma of Japanese salarymen treating me like a lepper for turning down their drinks and toasting with coke. People are always boasting how drinking is part of a culture. I say it's a cultural weakness. Head into Ueno Park during the first week of April to see the cherry blossoms and you'll see the culture that drinking creates. If you are regularly drinking alcohol more than 2-3 times a week you have a drinking problem.
garymalmgren
RE: but the beer is almost all the same generic rice lager.
Japanese "beer" is not made from rice.
Maybe you are mistaking Beer from Happoshu.
"Japanese happoshu, also known as low-malt beer, is primarily made from a blend of malt, hops, yeast, and water, with the defining characteristic being a malt content of less than 67%. Unlike regular beer, happoshu can also include other ingredients such as rice, corn, sorghum, potatoes, starch, or sugar."
Gaijinjland
Alcoholics are habitual problem drinkers and alcohol dependency is like the final stage of alcoholism and the only way to safely get sober is inpatient medical intervention. Shakes, hallucinations, not being able to walk, DT’s, scary stuff. I’m speaking from experience and most of the inpatients were women. They should really ban the sale of Strong Zero. Nothing like getting in the habit of drinking 8 large cans a day after a divorce, because it’s cheaper than beer, to put you halfway in the grave.
browny1
As others mentioned - drinking commercials are still the daily norm here.
Young people - mostly - enjoying life having fun, while drinking.
The one kind of CM that actually disturbs me is the young beautiful woman, alone (maybe after a hard day's work) chugging on an alcoholic drink with a smiling face of contention.
Weird stuff.
Speed
In general, as people experience more stress, the higher the alcohol consumption rate is. This is a sign and warning of Japanese society today. It's become much more unhealthy and unbalanced.
Mr Kipling
Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin all use rice in their beers. Have a look at the can next time you drink one.
The lable "happoshu" is used for tax as "beer" is taxed on its malt content in Japan. Many of the so called beers in the US and Europe would also qualify as "happoshu" due to their low malt content.
kohakuebisu
The story is likely nothing new and more a recognition of something people have previously not recognized. There are likely to be female related aspects to female alcoholism, possibly including extra shame driving women to hide it, which female focused groups will likely understand better than anyone.
Some alcoholics are high functioning, so can continue for years with few if any external signs.
Mr Kipling
There is one positive point about beer in Japan and that is drunks here seldom think they can fight the world after a few glasses. Unlike the UK and some other places.
Garlic eater
@Mr Kipling
I think one of the Kirin ones does not (一番搾り). But it's pretty rare, almost all the other ones do. I taste tested it alongside a freshly made home brew, and the Kirin one had an aftertaste of water, compared to the prolonged aftertaste of the homebrew. But it's OK in a pinch.
Garlic eater
What utterly freaks me out is the FOUR LITRE plastic bottles of whiskey and shochu that are sold at my local supermarket. And amazingly some people actually buy that (yes they do). This is insane.
GuruMick
Kiplung......you shuddup ! You thin you bedda than me doncha
Seriously though, some Chu Hais are like soft drinks and go downlike a cold Fanta until......
Kiplung shows up and ruins the moment