isn't it common everywhere for under aged to drink?
i was able to purchase alcohol when i was 14 thou law says i had to be 18 and of course it was trial and error to see which shops and what ladies would sell...
. around that time parties started including alcohol. it was and still is normal when 16 and 17 years old can get in the clubs...but still - not always.
steven. it wouldn't change anything if under aged were to be excluded from statistics. Japanese may drink more often but they don't drink physically as much as UK or RUS.