[Drinking practice and alcohol-related problems: the national representative sample survey for Healthy Japan 21]

This article is the first survey report in Japan concerning the adult drinking behaviors and its overall alcohol-related problems based on a national representative sample. It deals with a wide range of alcohol topics such as frequency, volume, cultural aspects, social influence and its effect on individuals, both positive and negative as well as various other alcohol related problems. The report identified, for further implementation of Japan's national health program, "Healthy Japan 21", the following areas of focus; 1) 5% of males and 0.5% of females who are considered "Hard Drinker", the most prioritized target. Seemingly small portion of females, 0.5%, is far beyond the planned goal level. 2) The cultural and regional competency is highly expected for policy discussion and evaluation in order to decrease the hard drinker population by 20% off. 3) Clarify the definition of a "Hard drinker" and disseminate the information publicly for functional health monitoring activity by local governments.