Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/53595

KEYWORDS : Japanese college drinking;quiet hazing;risk management;alcohol;gateway drug;Danshukai

Drinking is a part of Japanese college life,with many young people in Japan starting to drink in their late teens,despite the fact that they are not legally permitted to purchase alcohol until age twenty. The author began surveying Japanese college students about alcohol consumption in 2002. More than ten years have passed since the first survey was administered, but the results have continuously shown a lack of practical information about alcohol’s risk as a gateway drug. For example, more than ninety percent of students are not aware of Danshukai, a self-help group for alcoholics in Japan. Over the years, the lack of practical information has manifested in deeply tragic ways. At Hokkaido University, for example, seven students have passed away due to college drinking since 1984. Unfortunately, an eighth victim of acute alcohol poisoning passed away in July, 2013. As with many other college drinking cases in Japan, the media reported the official statement by the college,that “no one compelled the student to drink” suggesting that the incidents were the result of individual choice, rather than an institutional problem. Given the threat of such tragedies, what kind of practical information about drinking should be given to students and how should colleges manage the risk of drinking in Japan?The author who recently published To you, a teenager who is about to hold a can of alcohol: twelve letters from Danshukai explains the atmosphere of college drinking as “quiet hazing”and introduces examples of alcohol related policies and risk management tactics of colleges in North America.