2 Alcoholic Beverages (Beer, Wine, Whisky, etc.) - ASEAN-Japan ...

C-2. Alcoholic Beverages (Beer, wine, whisky, etc.)
< Beer >
Licensed
production
Fig. 3 Distribution channels for imported beer and whisky
Sole import agencies
(Importers / Japanese makers)
Primary wholesalers
Commercial
liquor vendors
General
liquor stores
Food service establishments
Overseas manufacturers
Secondary wholesalers
Discount
liquor stores
Consumers
Liquor retailers
Overseas wholesalers
Supermarkets,
department stores
Parallel importers
Convenience
stores
2. Trade Trends
(1) Import Trends in Japan
Importation of all alcoholic beverages in 2005 was 415,765kl and 194,567 million yen, with a decrease in
both the import volume and import value since 2002, reflecting the stagnation of the domestic alcohol
consumption volume.
Wine gained the largest share among imported alcohol, at 160,152kl, for a 38.5% share of the volume base,
and 113,443 million yen, a 58.3% share of the value base. This is followed by other distilled alcoholic
beverages including shochu (94,471kl, share 22.7%), beer and happoshu (62,764kl, share 15.1%) in the volume
base, and whisky (23,430 million yen, share 12.0%), other distilled alcoholic beverages (14,080 million yen,
share 7.2%) in the value base, this ranking has remained the same for several years.
Among the imported alcoholic beverage market, imports of other types of alcoholic beverages (fruit-based
alcoholic beverages) increased in 2005 to 694 million yen in the value base, a 25.8% increase over the previous
year, and to 5,896kl in the volume base, a 26.7% increase over the previous year. This is considered to be the
result of the popularity of the low-alcohol boom in recent years.
On the other hand, beer and happoshu was 62,764kl in volume base, a 2.1% decrease over the previous year,
although the value base was 7,383 million yen, a 5.9% increase over the previous year. This is thought to be a
result of progress made in the expansion of beer from Europe, which has a high single price. Also, the sale of
vodka, as a basic ingredient in low-alcoholic beverages, such as the popular chuhai cans, has slowed the
downward trend experienced in the past several years in the import value, at 1,214 million yen, a 17% increase
in the value base.
Fig. 4 Trends in Japan’s alcohol imports
(\ million)
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
[Total import value] [Import value by category]
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
(year)
Marketing Guide for ASEAN Exporters to Japan
190
(\ million)
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Beer and happoshu
Wine
Others
Whisky
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
(year)