In a bid to reduce drinking in Japan, a health ministry team is conducting the country's first nationwide study on the hazards of alcohol consumption on health and human relations, researchers said Wednesday.

Japan is considered a nation indulgent toward drinking, with a traditional belief that consuming spirits can be good for health.

But amid the prolonged economic slump, many people are concerned about an increase in the number of alcoholics and worsening cases of drunken driving and sudden deaths after binge drinking. Many people become physically ill, and others get violent when drunk.