ASK Activity Annual Report
EamailPublished in July 2022
Non-profit Corporation ASK https://www.ask.or.jp/

Originally written in JapaneseTranslated into English with www.DeepL.com/Translator

This e-mail is sent to all those who donate to ASK and wish to receive information about our activities.
The contents are as follows.
1. Yachimata City drunkenness fatal accident
2. Request for Online Casino Regulation
3. Two must-read books for those concerned
4. Prefectural Plans for the Promotion of Measures Against Alcohol-related Health Harm
5. SDGs are connected to addiction support
6. Special General Meeting and Annual General Meeting
7. Pickup of Activities

1.

Yachimata City drunkenness fatal accident

In June 2021, five children were killed or injured in an accident in Yachimata City, Chiba Prefecture.
A large truck driven by a drunk driver crashed into a concrete utility pole, shearing it off at the base, andthen went another 40 meters while derailing the truck, plowing into a line of elementary school students on
their way home from school.
The accident also brought into question the management system of the workplace, including a supervisor
who failed to respond to repeated reports of the "smell of alcohol" from a subcontractor.
ASK created an awareness-raising video with funding from the General Insurance Association of Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pke0wQmf-sU
Yasutaka and Ikumi Inoue, who appeared in the video, are the bereaved families of victims of the Tomei
Expressway drunk driving accident that occurred in 1999. The couple attended the criminal trial of theYachimata case and contributed a detailed report to the quarterly magazine "Be!.
https://www.a-h-c.jp/items/beIn addition, as an emergency project in conjunction with the general meeting in June of this year, the couple
joined ASK representatives and other participants in a discussion on what can be done to prevent such
accidents from happening again.

2.

Request for Online Casino Regulation

Request submitted for regulation of online casinos
https://www.ask.or.jp/updates/10468
Online casinos have attracted a lot of attention since the problem of erroneous money transfers in Abucho, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
One starts online casinos casually on the smartphone or other devices, gets addicted to the feeling ofspeed in seconds, finds oneself spending in the millions, and loses all sense of money because one sees
there are just numbers......
The sheer magnitude of the experiences of these parties involved led some concerned parties to requestthat measures be taken as soon as possible.
A press conference was held on June 10, and on June 14, in the form of a caretaker meeting of thenonpartisan "Diet Members Caucus Against Addictions," a hearing was held at the request of the Diet
members with representatives from related ministries and agencies.

3.

Two must-read books for those concerned

Here are two must-read books for all concerned.
A Complete Gambling Problem Manual for Families" (by Noriko Tanaka)
https://www.a-h-c.jp/book/8862
Sudden discovery of debt, use of time deposits and insurance, use of family cards without permission,
taking valuables, verbal abuse and violence, disappearance, and access to company money.
What should we do?
The following is a collection of overwhelming wisdom and coping methods accumulated from many casesof family consultations.
The e-book version of "DV, Moral Harassment, and Alcohol Problems...Is This a Reason for Divorce?”(by Reiko Higashi)
https://www.a-h-c.jp/book/9134
Many of the cases introduced in this book are related to domestic violence and alcohol abuse. Children in
the middle of these problems also appear in the book.
This book is not only for those who are struggling in their marriages, but also for those who support
addiction and domestic violence issues, and for those who are involved in supporting women and children!

4.

Prefectural Plans for the Promotion of Measures Against Alcohol-related Health Harm

Based on the Basic Law on Measures against Alcohol-related Health Harm enacted in December 2013,

the national government's first basic plan, formulated in May 2016, set a goal for all prefectures to formulate
a promotion plan by 2020.
Tottori Prefecture was the first prefecture in Japan to formulate a plan in 2015.
In October 2021, Wakayama Prefecture, the last prefecture to do so, formulated its plan, and after five anda half years, all prefectures in Japan finally have a plan for promoting measures against alcohol-related
health problems.
The second phase of the plan has already been announced in some early areas. Hokkaido, Kyoto, andTottori formulated their plans last year, and Saitama, Mie, Fukuoka, and Kagawa do so this year.
For more information, please visit the website of Al-Hou-Net, for which ASK serves as the secretariat.
https://alhonet.jp/local-plan.html

5.

The SDGs are connected to support for addiction

Not surprisingly, the Sustainable Development Goals include many addiction issues.
https://www.ask.or.jp/updates/10312
The quarterly magazine "Be!" No. 146 also has a detailed article on this topic.
The SDGs are so much more than just support for addictions. The SDGs are connected to addiction
support!
Toshihiko Matsumoto, Noriko Tanaka, Tomomi Imanari
https://www.a-h-c.jp/magazine/9032

6.

Special General Meeting and Annual General Meeting

The special general meeting was held on November 27, 2021, at which the revision of the ASK Articles ofIncorporation was approved. With this, the foundation of the new, merged ASK is finally firmly in place.
(The revised Articles of Incorporation became effective upon approval by the Tokyo MetropolitanGovernment.)
We have also established a new Membership Agreement. The Articles of Incorporation are at the bottomof this page.
https://www.ask.or.jp/article/433
On June 19 of this year, the 39th General Assembly was held online, attended by members as well as
those involved in anti-drunk driving and online rooms.
Following the business report, approval of the activity plan, and other agenda items, participants talked
about the current status of their respective activities.
Click here to see the financial report for 2021 approved at the general meeting.
https://www.ask.or.jp/article/449

7.

Pickup of Activities

The following is a selection of our main activities.
●Addictions Online Rooms (Online Self-Help Groups)
https://www.ask.or.jp/adviser/online-room.html
Started in response to the difficulties faced by self-help group activities due to the Corvid-19 Pandemic.
It is an online self-help group, so to speak, run by ASK-certified addiction prevention education advisors.
Room K" for kleptomania has been added as a new group.
On October 17, "ASK Addiction Online Forum 2021" was held on Zoom to share a year and a half ofexperience.
https://www.ask.or.jp/adviser/forum2021.html
Year 2022 event is scheduled for November 3rd. Information is available on ASK Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/npoask
We have launched a special website for Addiction Prevention Education Advisor.
https://www.ask.or.jp/adviser/index.html
Campus dispatches are increasing.
https://www.ask.or.jp/adviser/campus.html
In 2021, advisor training courses were held in October and December, resulting in a total of 48 advisors.
This year, courses are scheduled for October and November. Applications for the course will be acceptedin July. We will announce the start of the application period via e-mail, the ASK website, and SNS.
(Please refrain from making individual inquiries.)
Due to the high volume of applications each time, participants will be selected based on a balance of areas,occupations, and regions.
●Training Program for Drunk Driving Prevention Instructors
https://ddd.ask.or.jp/
Last year, we held five free public schooling sessions online.
As of April this year, there are 5,421 instructors nationwide.
We have received many applications from "white number" operators for the 15th training course.
The "Online Open Schooling" will be held again this autumn. Please check our website and SNS for theschedule.

●Binge Drinking and alcohol Harassment prevention
https://www.noikki.jp/《Calls turn alcohol into a deadly weapon》
To download posters and flyers, please visit the campaign website.
Please also take advantage of the clear file for awareness!
●Protest against "Sugoroku-attached" liqueur packs
https://www.ask.or.jp/updates/10401
The "Weiwei Land" demonstration videos by young YouTubers have been viewed more than 20 million
times.
The product name indicates that it is a liqueur, not a game.
Sugoroku - the traditional Japanese board game played with dice - that accompanies the pack of 12 small
20-milliliter liqueur bottles has instructions for toasting more than half of the squares.
Even in the videos, it is hard to reach the goal, and the drinking continues endlessly.
The Liaison Council for the Prevention of Binge drinking, for which ASK serves as the secretariat, andothers have lodged a complaint regarding this product. The Central Association of Alcoholic Beverage
Industry informed the importer of the problem and received a response that the product would no longer
be sold while supplies last.
We are still concerned about the effects of dangerous drinking videos made by YouTubes, which are
popular among children.
We will be reporting more about these activities, addiction, family, and Adult Children in our quarterly
magazine "Be!”.
Click here for an annual subscription.
https://www.a-h-c.jp/magazine/5719......................................................
We sincerely appreciate your support for our activities.
We look forward to your continued support.
Please click here to learn more about our membership system.
Members receive the quarterly newsletter "ASK News" as well as occasional email notifications inJapanese.
https://www.ask.or.jp/membership/join
If you do not wish to receive future emails, please let us know at
ask@t3.rim.or.jp
ASK Activity Annual Report July 2022
Non-profit Corporation ASK
https://www.ask.or.jp/