Japanese sake is very popular in overseas markets such as the United States and China

Japanese sake is becoming more and more popular overseas. With the United States and China as the center, the export volume of Japanese sake in 2024 increased by 90% compared with 10 years ago. Breweries in Gifu, Miyagi and other places are working with the government to strengthen the expansion of overseas markets. Asahi Shuzo, which is famous for its “Dasai” brand, will also be renamed Dasai.

Local breweries in Japan are working hard to export Japanese sake. Japanese sake is becoming more and more popular against the backdrop of the “washoku” boom. With the United States and China as the center, the export volume of Japanese sake in 2024 increased by 90% compared with 10 years ago. Promoting Japanese sake that reflects history and local customs will help spread Japan’s local culture and attract tourists to visit Japan. Gifu Prefecture and breweries are working together to promote overseas publicity and help expand exports.

Although the export of Japanese sake has been affected by factors such as the new crown epidemic, it is still on the rise in the long run. The export value in 2024 is expected to be 43.4 billion yen, an increase of 6% over the previous year. Due to sluggish domestic consumption in Japan, exports accounted for 7% of shipments in 2023, about 2.5 times that of 10 years ago. Although not all breweries are covered, the results of the National Tax Agency of Japan’s survey show that among the Japanese sake exports in each prefecture in 2023, Hyogo Prefecture, where large breweries are concentrated, has the largest amount, followed by Kyoto Prefecture and Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Local breweries in Japan are working hard to export Japanese sake. Japanese sake is becoming more and more popular against the backdrop of the “washoku” boom, and the export volume of Japanese sake in 2024 has increased by 90% compared with 10 years ago, mainly in the United States and China. Promoting Japanese sake that reflects history and terroir can help spread Japan’s local culture and attract tourists to visit Japan. Gifu Prefecture has worked with breweries to promote overseas publicity and help expand exports.

Although the export of Japanese sake has been affected by factors such as the new crown epidemic, it is still on the rise in the long run. The export value in 2024 is expected to be 43.4 billion yen, an increase of 6% over the previous year. Due to sluggish domestic consumption in Japan, exports accounted for 7% of shipments in 2023, about 2.5 times that of 10 years ago. Although not all breweries are covered, the survey results of the National Tax Agency of Japan show that among the Japanese sake exports in each prefecture in 2023, Hyogo Prefecture, where large breweries are concentrated, has the largest volume, followed by Kyoto Prefecture and Yamaguchi Prefecture.

“The trust relationship between the prefectural government and the breweries is our strong advantage,” said Kenji Miwa, president of Miwa Brewery in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture. The company mainly exports “turbid sake” to about 20 countries and regions including Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia, with an overseas market share of 15%.

Gifu Prefecture has held Japanese sake promotion activities in New York, Hong Kong, and various places in Europe. Incorporating the opinions of breweries, not only importers but also sommeliers with decision-making power are invited to participate in tastings, and measures that are conducive to transactions are continuously taken. A catalogue introducing 45 breweries in the prefecture in four languages, Japanese, English, French and Chinese, has also been produced. The export volume of Japanese sake in Gifu Prefecture has increased by 80% compared to five years ago, ranking sixth in Japan in 2023.

President Miwa said, “We hope to further deepen our ties with overseas customers,” and is considering commercializing the sake factory tour project to attract tourists to Japan. The head of Gifu Prefecture said, “We hope to attract tourists to Japan by using sake, which symbolizes the rich nature of Gifu, as a starting point.”

Leading Yamaguchi Prefecture is Asahi Shuzo (Iwakuni City), which is famous for its “Dassai” brand. Asahi Shuzo began exporting around 2000 and opened a brewery in New York, USA in 2023. Of the 17.5 billion yen in sales in fiscal 2023 (ending September 2023), 6.8 billion yen came from exports, making it the largest exporter among Japanese sake breweries.

President Kazuhiro Sakurai emphasized, “We hope to expand the overseas sake market rather than competing for market share among Japanese companies.” Asahi Shuzo will change its name to Dassai in June 2025, striving to enhance its brand power and further expand overseas sales.