Japan’s Kirin pulls ad for alcoholic drink after economist’s past remarks on ‘elderly suicides’ resurface

The Japanese drinks giant used a well-known economist to front its Kirin Hyoketsu Sugar Free canned alcoholic drinks earlier this month

The promotion quickly fell apart after social media users resurfaced his past comments that senior people are a drain on Japan’s society and should ‘kill themselves’

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The online ad for Kirin’s alcoholic drink featuring economist Yusuke Narita. Photo: Handout/Kirin Brewery Co

Published: 6:15pm, 15 Mar 2024Updated: 6:15pm, 15 Mar 2024

Japanese drinks giant Kirin Brewery has hastily cancelled an advertising campaign for one of its chūhai alcoholic drinks, after learning that the man fronting the promotion once proposed that Japan solve the problem of its ageing population by having old people kill themselves.

The firm launched the campaign for the Kirin Hyoketsu Sugar Free canned chūhai drinks on social media platforms and its website earlier this month.

The first complaints about economist Yusuke Narita emerged on the evening of March 8, a company spokesman told This Week in Asia.

“Four comments were sent to the customer service centre regarding Narita’s past comments. [We received] negative comments on X,” said the official, who declined to be named.

All digital promotion and most of Kirin’s outdoor electronic advertisements were halted at 7pm the same day, and the last social media posts were withdrawn by March 12.

Narita, an assistant professor at Yale University, caused a storm of controversy in late 2021 after stating on a US news programme that elderly Japanese could help the nation deal with its rapidly ageing population by committing seppuku, the ritual disembowelment favoured by samurai who had offended their masters.