The Japanese new diagnostic and treatment guideline for alcohol and drug use disorders was published in 2018, 15 years after the previous guideline had been first distributed in Japan. Among the substantial changes in the new guideline is the recommendation for goal setting in individuals with alcohol use disorder. Traditionally, almost all treatment facilities in Japan had prioritized the goal of abstinence, and moving toward a non-abstinent goal was regarded as a maltreatment for both therapists and clients. Numerous individuals with alcohol use disorder who were unwilling to maintain abstinence had been excluded from interventions provided at treatment facilities and health services. As such, we often lost opportunities to establish connections with individuals who wanted to solve their problems induced by alcohol use but who did not want to quit drinking. The new guideline suggests that the optimal goal is abstinence, but it accepts the choice of clients. Clients can adopt a strategy of reducing their alcohol consumption initially to prevent dropping out from treatment, especially in the cases where the client with alcohol use disorder has a severe symptom or comorbidities, faces serious family or social problems leading them to reject the goal of abstinence, or disagrees with the recommendation for abstinence. Moreover, individuals with mild symptoms of alcohol use disorder and without comorbidities can opt for a moderate drinking goal, except when they are required to set abstinence as their goal for any specific reason. The possibility of applying a treatment goal that does not require only abstinence in individuals with alcohol use disorder had been discussed since the 1970s. Beginning in the 2000s, diagnostic and treatment guidelines for alcohol use disorder published in several countries began to adopt the new concepts of goal setting, such as reduced drinking and harm reduction. An advantage to accepting reduction as treatment goal for alcohol use disorder is that it decreases the resistance to visiting treatment facilities or accessing social health services among individuals with mild alcohol use disorder and those diagnosed as having harmful alcohol use. These individuals with mild alcohol use disorder tend to regard an abstinent goal as excessive for themselves and their alcohol habit as not requiring consultation. In addition, reduction in alcohol use has been shown to decrease problems induced by drinking, including physical and functional disabilities. Even in the case of individuals with severe alcohol use disorder or comorbidities complicated by their background, reduction in alcohol use can decrease health risks related to alcohol use and enable various interventions to be provided until these individuals can begin their preparation toward an abstinent goal. These advantages regarding the acceptance of reduction treatment should be considered in shaping attitudes toward alcohol use disorder. In line with these guidelines in other nations, the latest guideline published in Japan includes the concept that therapists should recognize individuals with alcohol use disorder as capable of choosing their treatment goal by themselves and as clients who should not be forced to take the singular route toward an abstinent goal based on the belief of therapists. The concept of reduction treatment goals should be spread among both therapists and clients in Japan. Increased interest in people's alcohol habit could contribute to preventing the harms induced by alcohol use.
 Authors' abstract