Around the world, alcoholic beverages have played a vital role in shaping local food cultures and are an important source of revenue for governments. However, in addition to mental disorders like alcoholism, alcohol consumption is a known factor for a number of serious non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, liver disease, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and can lead to social harms such as traffic accidents and violence. In response, some people are calling for action to address Health Problems Caused by Alcohol.

Driven by concern toward the health and social consequences of alcohol, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the “Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol” at the World Health Assembly in 2010. Later, in 2013, the WHO presented a plan aiming to prevent NCDs caused by alcohol consumption titled the “Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013-2020” (currently the Global Action Plan 2022-2030). In response to these developments, Japan enacted the Basic Act on Measures against Health Problems Caused by Alcohol in December 2013. Based on this law, the Government of Japan formulated the Basic Plan for Promotion of Measures against Health Problems Caused by Alcohol (hereinafter referred to as the “Alcohol Basic Plan”). This is how all of Japan began taking steps to promote measures against alcohol-related health problems. The Alcohol Basic Plan is currently in its second phase (2021-2025) and outlines priorities and ten basic measures to drive progress in reducing alcohol-related harm. In response to that plan, guidelines titled, “Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption Considering Health Issues” were formulated in February 2024 to promote the dissemination of information regarding the risks associated with alcohol consumption.

For the upcoming 125th HGPI Seminar, we will host Dr. Sachio Matsushita, who chaired the study group that prepared the “Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption Considering Health Issues.” Dr. Matsushita will share the history and current state of domestic measures for reducing alcohol-related health problems, the background to the preparation of the “Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption Considering Health Issues,” and future prospects for efforts in this area. In 2025, Japan is set to revise the Alcohol Basic Plan, and on the global stage, NCDs will be discussed at the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (HLM4). At HGPI, we will continue holding discussions on controlling alcohol-related harm and other NCDs like CVDs and kidney disease. We would like for this seminar to be an opportunity to discuss with all those present what measures can be taken to reduce alcohol-related harm within Japan’s health policy.

[Event Overview]

• Speaker: Dr. Sachio Matsushita (Director, National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center and Visiting Professor, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine)
• Date & Time: Friday, May 24 , 2024; from 18:30-19:45 JST
• Format: Online (Zoom Webinar)
• Language: Japanese
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 500 people

■Profile:

Dr. Sachio Matsushita (Director of Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center and Visiting Professor, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine)
After graduating from Keio University School of Medicine, he began his career as a psychiatrist at Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center in 1988. Post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism from 1993 to 1995. After returning to Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center in 1995, he received a Ph.D. in psychiatry from the Keio University School of Medicine in 2010. He became deputy director in 2011 and has served as director since 2022. He has chaired the committee of the development of the first drinking guideline in Japan.