About 600 years ago, a series of natural disasters, including long rains and cold summers, led to a severe drought. As a result, there was a countrywide famine. In those days, it was believed that if a powerful person or a person of high status did something wrong, the gods and Buddha would get angry and cause a disaster. The shogun, ASHIKAGA Yoshimochi, issued a ban on alcohol. He believed that by not producing alcohol, rice could be saved, mishaps caused by drinking could be reduced, and virtuous government could be conducted. Although prohibition did not end the famine, it can be said that this kind of famine strengthened the “virtuous thoughts” of the Japanese people. On the other hand, in line with the “irony of history,” Yoshikazu, the eldest son of Yoshimochi, who became the next shogun , was a heavy drinker and died suddenly of health problems caused by alcohol. In the U.S., the temperance movement, led by Puritans who advocated asceticism, led to the enactment of Prohibition in 1920. However, Prohibition led to an increase in the number of unlicensed bars, which in turn led to an increase in the number of deaths from alcohol poisoning due to the availability of poorquality moonshine. In addition, the illegal production and smuggling of alcohol by the mafia increased, and public safety deteriorated. Unfortunately, it seems that “prohibition” has not been a success. In modern Japan, the minister in charge of economic revitalization has made a statement calling for financial institutions to put pressure on restaurants to stop serving alcohol during the Covid-19 pandemic. This threatening statement caused anger and distrust among the restaurant industry, liquor dealers and the public, and was later retracted. However, the pros and cons of the government cracking down on the serving of alcohol have been brought into question.