Note: This report includes forecasting data that is based on baseline historical data.
Executive summary
In 2021, the Japan's alcohol market was valued at US$62.4 billion, down from US$85.8 billion in 2019, the pre-pandemic time. Alcohol retail sales declined at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of −5.9% from 2016 to 2021.
In 2021, the Japan's wine market was valued at US$13.2 billion, down from US$17.8 billion in 2019, the pre-pandemic time. Wine retail sales declined at a CAGR of −6.2% from 2016 to 2021.
In 2022, Japan imported a total of Can$2,423.2 million wine from the world. France, Italy and Chile are the top three exporters to Japan's wine market and exported Can$1,404.0 million, Can$289.3 million and Can$208.3 million respectively in 2022.
The Japan beer market was valued at US$25.1 billion in 2021. The growth seems to decline at a CAGR of −7.7% from 2016 to 2021. The Japan beer market was dominated by lager, which saw sales of US$23.3 billion in 2021 (92.8% of the beer market).
In the years leading up to 2022, Japan imports of beer had been enjoying growth, rising by a CAGR of 4.0% from 2017 to 2022. However, in 2022, imports of beer peaked at the value of Can$95.3 million and surpassed the 2019 level: Can$87.7 million.
The Japan spirits market dramatically declined to US$18.8 billion in 2021 from US$28.1 billion in 2019. Its growth was a negative CAGR of −5.7% from 2016 to 2021. The Japan spirits market is dominated by whiskies, which saw US$8.9 billion in sales in 2021, accounting for 47% of all sales in 2021 of any products in the spirits category.
Japan's imports of foreign spirits totalled Can$962.7 million in 2022, but not returned to 2019 level: Can$1,083.7 million and grew at a CAGR of 1.2% from 2017 to 2022.
Japan alcoholic market
In 2021, the Japan's alcohol market was valued at US$62.4 billion, down from US$85.8 billion in 2019, the pre-pandemic time. Alcohol retail sales declined at a CAGR of −5.9% from 2016 to 2021.
| Category | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoholic Drinks | 84,466.4 | 85,398.1 | 85,052.2 | 85,844.6 | 68,817.8 | 62,383.6 | −5.9 |
| Beer | 37,345.0 | 36,779.9 | 35,556.3 | 35,183.3 | 27,290.6 | 25,077.5 | −7.7 |
| Cider / Perry | 24.6 | 25.5 | 26.1 | 32.6 | 33.6 | 30.9 | 4.7 |
| Ready-to-drinks | 3,588.1 | 4,017.4 | 4,298.6 | 4,702.9 | 4,962.8 | 5,226.2 | 7.8 |
| Spirits | 25,255.2 | 26,051.6 | 27,172.8 | 28,145.7 | 22,403.1 | 18,828.1 | −5.7 |
| Wine | 18,253.5 | 18,523.7 | 17,998.4 | 17,780.0 | 14,127.7 | 13,221.0 | −6.2 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate 1: On-trade refers to on-premise consumption (bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs), while Off-trade refers to places that retail spirits for off-premise consumption (supermarkets, off-licences, shops, online-stores). |
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The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% from 2021-2026. Japan's consumption is expected to reach US$75.0 billion by 2026, but still not return to 2019 level: US$85.8 billion.
|
Category |
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | CAGR* % 2021-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoholic Drinks | 62,383.6 | 67,334.6 | 71,974.8 | 74,148.1 | 75,048.9 | 75,221.9 | 3.8 |
| Beer | 25,077.5 | 25,954.1 | 27,525.6 | 27,937.6 | 27,958.8 | 27,522.6 | 1.9 |
| Cider / Perry | 30.9 | 34.1 | 35.7 | 36.9 | 38.1 | 38.8 | 4.7 |
| Ready-to-drinks | 5,226.2 | 5,590.1 | 5,940.0 | 6,167.9 | 6,350.7 | 6,601.7 | 4.8 |
| Spirits | 18,828.1 | 21,355.7 | 23,317.3 | 24,490.4 | 25,027.2 | 25,352.0 | 6.1 |
| Wine | 13,221.0 | 14,400.6 | 15,156.2 | 15,515.2 | 15,674.0 | 15,706.9 | 3.5 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate 1: On-trade refers to on-premise consumption (bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs), while Off-trade refers to places that retail spirits for off-premise consumption (supermarkets, off-licences, shops, online-stores). |
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Japan wine market
In 2021, the Japan's wine market was valued at US$13.2 billion, down from US$17.8 billion in 2019, the pre-pandemic time. Wine retail sales declined at a CAGR of −6.2% from 2016 to 2021.
In 2021, the non-grape wine was the largest wine category in Japan, with US$6.4 billion in sales (47.7% of the market). Sake, also spelled saké, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove bran and is the most popular in the non-grape wine, representing $6.3 billion (98.5% of the total non-grape wine). But its growth declined at a CAGR of −8.2% from 2016 to 2021.
All the categories and subcategories grew at a negative CAGR except champagne with a positive growth of 0.4% over 2016 to 2021.
Unlike bottled wine, canned wine is easy to carry around, takes up little storage space, and is easy to open, making it a good choice for those new to wine. Suntory Wine International began selling canned wine called One Wine on some e-commerce sites in October 2021, and Motox began selling canned wine Kanvas in November 2021 (Euromonitor, 2022).
| Category | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | 18,253.5 | 18,523.7 | 17,998.4 | 17,780.0 | 14,127.7 | 13,221.0 | −6.2 |
| Fortified Wine and Vermouth | 53.5 | 36.5 | 36.0 | 35.8 | 21.0 | 19.2 | −18.5 |
| Port | 10.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | −41.4 |
| Sherry | 5.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 2.0 | −17.7 |
| Vermouth | 31.8 | 24.2 | 23.8 | 22.8 | 12.8 | 11.7 | −18.1 |
| Other Fortified Wine | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 5.3 | 4.8 | −5.6 |
| Non-Grape Wine | 9,861.3 | 9,728.2 | 9,217.0 | 8,652.0 | 6,896.1 | 6,421.7 | −8.2 |
| Chinese Wine | 105.5 | 90.6 | 94.5 | 93.4 | 65.2 | 57.4 | −11.5 |
| Fruit Wine | 58.5 | 59.3 | 60.1 | 60.7 | 45.9 | 43.6 | −5.7 |
| Sake[2] | 9,632.6 | 9,518.1 | 9,006.4 | 8,446.3 | 6,747.3 | 6,285.9 | −8.2 |
| Other Non-Grape Wine | 64.7 | 60.0 | 56.1 | 51.6 | 37.7 | 34.9 | −11.6 |
| Sparkling Wine | 3,044.5 | 3,487.9 | 3,674.5 | 4,114.7 | 2,932.2 | 2,920.3 | −0.8 |
| Champagne | 1,813.6 | 2,221.2 | 2,361.1 | 2,507.4 | 1,734.5 | 1,853.4 | 0.4 |
| Other Sparkling Wine | 1,230.9 | 1,266.7 | 1,313.5 | 1,607.3 | 1,197.7 | 1,067.0 | −2.8 |
| Still Light Grape Wine | 5,294.3 | 5,271.1 | 5,070.8 | 4,977.5 | 4,278.4 | 3,859.7 | −6.1 |
| Still Red Wine | 3,126.6 | 3,104.7 | 2,994.4 | 2,930.9 | 2,509.0 | 2,265.6 | −6.2 |
| Still Rosé Wine | 229.6 | 228.5 | 220.1 | 219.8 | 193.2 | 173.8 | −5.4 |
| Still White Wine | 1,938.0 | 1,937.9 | 1,856.3 | 1,826.8 | 1,576.2 | 1,420.4 | −6.0 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate 1: On-trade refers to on-premise consumption (bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs), while Off-trade refers to places that retail spirits for off-premise consumption (supermarkets, off-licences, shops, online-stores). 2: Sake, also spelled saké is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove bran |
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The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% from 2021-2026. Japan's consumption is expected to reach US$15.7 billion by 2026, but still not return to 2019 level: US$17.8 billion.
| Category | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | CAGR* % 2021-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | 13,221.0 | 14,400.6 | 15,156.2 | 15,515.2 | 15,674.0 | 15,706.9 | 3.5 |
| Fortified Wine and Vermouth | 19.2 | 23.7 | 25.4 | 26.2 | 26.6 | 26.6 | 6.7 |
| Port | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 11.4 |
| Sherry | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 7.7 |
| Vermouth | 11.7 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 16.0 | 16.2 | 16.2 | 6.7 |
| Other Fortified Wine | 4.8 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.3 |
| Non-Grape Wine | 6,421.7 | 6,908.1 | 7,176.3 | 7,333.7 | 7,380.1 | 7,374.2 | 2.8 |
| Chinese Wine | 57.4 | 70.7 | 74.1 | 76.6 | 78.3 | 78.8 | 6.5 |
| Fruit Wine | 43.6 | 46.2 | 47.6 | 48.3 | 49.0 | 49.1 | 2.4 |
| Sake | 6,285.9 | 6,751.2 | 7,012.4 | 7,165.2 | 7,208.3 | 7,201.7 | 2.8 |
|
Other Non-Grape Wine |
34.9 | 40.1 | 42.2 | 43.6 | 44.4 | 44.6 | 5.0 |
| Sparkling Wine | 2,920.3 | 3,384.3 | 3,683.4 | 3,836.7 | 3,944.4 | 4,006.5 | 6.5 |
| Champagne | 1,853.4 | 2,124.3 | 2,261.0 | 2,355.3 | 2,430.0 | 2,481.6 | 6.0 |
| Other Sparkling Wine | 1,067.0 | 1,260.0 | 1,422.4 | 1,481.3 | 1,514.4 | 1,525.0 | 7.4 |
| Still Light Grape Wine | 3,859.7 | 4,084.4 | 4,271.1 | 4,318.6 | 4,322.9 | 4,299.6 | 2.2 |
| Still Red Wine | 2,265.6 | 2,383.4 | 2,522.7 | 2,569.3 | 2,586.3 | 2,590.1 | 2.7 |
| Still Rosé Wine | 173.8 | 184.5 | 192.8 | 195.1 | 196.3 | 196.3 | 2.5 |
| Still White Wine | 1,420.4 | 1,516.6 | 1,555.6 | 1,554.2 | 1,540.3 | 1,513.2 | 1.3 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate 1: On-trade refers to on-premise consumption (bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs), while Off-trade refers to places that retail spirits for off-premise consumption (supermarkets, off-licences, shops, online-stores). |
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Off-trade and on-trade review
During the pandemic period, the Japan wine market saw a favour of the off-trade in 2021, with sales rising to US$5.9 billion compared with 2019 level: US$5.7 billion. while on-trade sales failing to US$7.2 billion compared with 2019 level: US$11.9 billion, The off-trade made up 45.2% of Japan wine sales in 2021, compared with 44.2% in 2019. The off-trade "other fortified wine" enjoyed the biggest growth at a CAGR of 32.0% from 2016 to 2021 followed by the off-trade "other sparkling wine" at a CAGR of 13.7%.
| Category | Trade type | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | Off | 6,376.7 | 6,313.8 | 5,868.4 | 5,784.0 | 5,968.5 | 5,985.0 | −1.3 |
| On | 11,876.8 | 12,209.8 | 12,129.9 | 11,996.0 | 8,159.1 | 7,236.0 | −9.4 | |
| Fortified Wine and Vermouth | Off | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 5.6 |
| On | 51.6 | 35.0 | 34.5 | 34.3 | 18.3 | 16.7 | −20.2 | |
| Port | Off | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | −100.0 |
| On | 9.5 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | −40.6 | |
| Sherry | Off | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| On | 5.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | −18.8 | |
| Vermouth | Off | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2.7 |
| On | 31.1 | 23.4 | 23.1 | 22.1 | 12.0 | 10.9 | −18.9 | |
| Other Fortified Wine | Off | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 32.0 |
| On | 5.9 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | −11.0 | |
| Non-Grape Wine | Off | 3,554.3 | 3,496.6 | 3,171.5 | 3,042.5 | 3,075.6 | 3,097.8 | −2.7 |
| On | 6,307.0 | 6,231.6 | 6,045.5 | 5,609.4 | 3,820.4 | 3,323.9 | −12.0 | |
| Chinese Wine | Off | 6.9 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.1 | −2.4 |
| On | 98.6 | 84.5 | 88.2 | 87.4 | 59.1 | 51.3 | −12.2 | |
| Fruit Wine | Off | 38.2 | 38.8 | 39.2 | 39.6 | 32.6 | 31.3 | −3.9 |
| On | 20.3 | 20.6 | 20.8 | 21.1 | 13.2 | 12.3 | −9.5 | |
| Sake | Off | 3,488.5 | 3,432.1 | 3,107.5 | 2,980.5 | 3,022.0 | 3,045.2 | −2.7 |
| On | 6,144.1 | 6,086.0 | 5,898.9 | 5,465.8 | 3,725.3 | 3,240.7 | −12.0 | |
| Other Non-Grape Wine | Off | 20.7 | 19.5 | 18.5 | 16.5 | 14.9 | 15.1 | −6.1 |
| On | 44.0 | 40.5 | 37.6 | 35.1 | 22.8 | 19.7 | −14.8 | |
| Sparkling Wine | Off | 172.6 | 170.1 | 172.2 | 185.8 | 263.5 | 280.2 | 10.2 |
| On | 2,871.9 | 3,317.8 | 3,502.4 | 3,928.9 | 2,668.7 | 2,640.2 | −1.7 | |
| Champagne | Off | 102.0 | 95.7 | 101.3 | 104.8 | 139.7 | 146.1 | 7.5 |
| On | 1,711.6 | 2,125.5 | 2,259.8 | 2,402.6 | 1,594.8 | 1,707.3 | −0.1 | |
| Other Sparkling Wine | Off | 70.6 | 74.4 | 70.9 | 81.1 | 123.8 | 134.1 | 13.7 |
| On | 1,160.3 | 1,192.3 | 1,242.6 | 1,526.3 | 1,073.9 | 932.9 | −4.3 | |
| Still Light Grape Wine | Off | 2,647.9 | 2,645.6 | 2,523.2 | 2,554.1 | 2,626.7 | 2,604.5 | −0.3 |
| On | 2,646.4 | 2,625.5 | 2,547.6 | 2,423.4 | 1,651.7 | 1,255.2 | −13.9 | |
| Still Red Wine | Off | 1,703.3 | 1,697.5 | 1,609.7 | 1,637.1 | 1,678.1 | 1,661.8 | −0.5 |
| On | 1,423.3 | 1,407.2 | 1,384.7 | 1,293.8 | 830.9 | 603.8 | −15.8 | |
| Still Rosé Wine | Off | 94.8 | 94.9 | 92.2 | 92.7 | 97.7 | 99.7 | 1.0 |
| On | 134.8 | 133.6 | 127.9 | 127.1 | 95.6 | 74.1 | −11.3 | |
| Still White Wine | Off | 849.7 | 853.2 | 821.3 | 824.3 | 850.9 | 843.0 | −0.2 |
| On | 1,088.3 | 1,084.7 | 1,035.0 | 1,002.5 | 725.3 | 577.4 | −11.9 | |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual Growth Rate |
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The wine on-trade is expected to see growth at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2021-2026, as the sector recovers from the pandemic. The off-trade is not expected to see growth at a CAGR of −1.5%. Almost all categories and subcategories do not return to 2019 level except the off-trade "fortified wine and vermouth", off-trade "other fortified wine", off-trade "sparking wine", off-trade "champagne", off-trade "Other Sparkling Wine" and off-trade "Still Rosé Wine".
|
Category |
Trade type | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | CAGR* % 2021-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | Off | 5,985.0 | 5,835.5 | 5,728.1 | 5,647.1 | 5,585.2 | 5,537.0 | −1.5 |
| On | 7,236.0 | 8,565.1 | 9,428.1 | 9,868.1 | 10,088.8 | 10,169.9 | 7.0 | |
| Fortified Wine and Vermouth | Off | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | −0.8 |
| On | 16.7 | 21.2 | 23.0 | 23.8 | 24.2 | 24.2 | 7.7 | |
| Port | Off | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| On | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 11.4 | |
| Sherry | Off | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| On | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 8.4 | |
| Vermouth | Off | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | −2.6 |
| On | 10.9 | 14.0 | 14.8 | 15.3 | 15.5 | 15.5 | 7.3 | |
| Other Fortified Wine | Off | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | −1.3 |
| On | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 7.3 | |
| Non-Grape Wine | Off | 3,097.8 | 3,008.0 | 2,955.1 | 2,920.5 | 2,893.3 | 2,869.0 | −1.5 |
| On | 3,323.9 | 3,900.2 | 4,221.2 | 4,413.2 | 4,486.8 | 4,505.2 | 6.3 | |
| Chinese Wine | Off | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.6 | −1.7 |
| On | 51.3 | 64.7 | 68.3 | 70.9 | 72.7 | 73.2 | 7.4 | |
| Fruit Wine | Off | 31.3 | 30.7 | 30.5 | 30.5 | 30.7 | 30.9 | −0.3 |
| On | 12.3 | 15.5 | 17.1 | 17.8 | 18.4 | 18.2 | 8.2 | |
| Sake | Off | 3,045.2 | 2,956.2 | 2,903.7 | 2,869.2 | 2,841.8 | 2,817.2 | −1.5 |
| On | 3,240.7 | 3,794.9 | 4,108.7 | 4,296.0 | 4,366.5 | 4,384.5 | 6.2 | |
| Other Non-Grape Wine | Off | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.2 | 15.3 | 0.3 |
| On | 19.7 | 25.0 | 27.1 | 28.5 | 29.2 | 29.3 | 8.3 | |
| Sparkling Wine | Off | 280.2 | 255.0 | 240.6 | 234.3 | 234.9 | 238.5 | −3.2 |
| On | 2,640.2 | 3,129.3 | 3,442.8 | 3,602.3 | 3,709.5 | 3,768.1 | 7.4 | |
| Champagne | Off | 146.1 | 133.7 | 126.7 | 123.2 | 122.1 | 122.5 | −3.5 |
| On | 1,707.3 | 1,990.6 | 2,134.3 | 2,232.1 | 2,307.9 | 2,359.1 | 6.7 | |
| Other Sparkling Wine | Off | 134.1 | 121.3 | 113.9 | 111.1 | 112.7 | 116.0 | −2.9 |
| On | 932.9 | 1,138.8 | 1,308.5 | 1,370.2 | 1,401.7 | 1,409.0 | 8.6 | |
| Still Light Grape Wine | Off | 2,604.5 | 2,570.1 | 2,530.0 | 2,489.9 | 2,454.7 | 2,427.1 | −1.4 |
| On | 1,255.2 | 1,514.4 | 1,741.0 | 1,828.7 | 1,868.3 | 1,872.5 | 8.3 | |
| Still Red Wine | Off | 1,661.8 | 1,650.6 | 1,640.1 | 1,631.1 | 1,624.2 | 1,621.8 | −0.5 |
| On | 603.8 | 732.8 | 882.6 | 938.2 | 962.1 | 968.3 | 9.9 | |
| Still Rosé Wine | Off | 99.7 | 97.8 | 96.1 | 94.8 | 94.3 | 94.1 | −1.1 |
| On | 74.1 | 86.7 | 96.7 | 100.3 | 102.1 | 102.2 | 6.6 | |
| Still White Wine | Off | 843.0 | 821.6 | 793.8 | 764.0 | 736.2 | 711.1 | −3.3 |
| On | 577.4 | 694.9 | 761.8 | 790.2 | 804.1 | 802.1 | 6.8 | |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual Growth Rate |
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Company shares
Suntory Holdings Ltd is the leading company, retail sale reaching US$999.0 million in 2021, less than pre-pandemic level in 2019: US$1,116.0 million. It is followed by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA (US$971.9 million) and Takara Holdings Inc. (US$780.7 million). All the top 10 companies have negative growths varying from −0.5% (Suntory Holdings Ltd) to −10.2% (Ozeki Co Ltd) from 2016 to 2021.
| Companies | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suntory Holdings Ltd | 1,025.7 | 1,116.3 | 1,112.8 | 1,116.0 | 997.1 | 999.0 | −0.5 |
| LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA | 1,043.1 | 1,153.4 | 1,224.0 | 1,295.8 | 911.3 | 971.9 | −1.4 |
| Takara Holdings Inc | 1,003.2 | 1,056.7 | 1,034.8 | 1,028.3 | 853.0 | 780.7 | −4.9 |
| Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co Ltd | 1,077.7 | 1,070.6 | 1,004.8 | 928.8 | 801.1 | 755.4 | −6.9 |
| Kirin Holdings Co Ltd | 766.6 | 759.7 | 739.1 | 718.1 | 655.5 | 595.8 | −4.9 |
| Gekkeikan Sake Co Ltd | 851.6 | 828.1 | 820.5 | 752.7 | 619.5 | 578.2 | −7.5 |
| Koyama Honke Syuzou Co Ltd | 469.6 | 482.0 | 496.5 | 495.0 | 443.0 | 413.5 | −2.5 |
| Ozeki Co Ltd | 426.9 | 414.6 | 384.3 | 348.2 | 272.5 | 249.1 | −10.2 |
| Kizakura Sake Brewing Co Ltd | 316.0 | 301.8 | 295.3 | 282.1 | 254.7 | 247.5 | −4.8 |
| Santa Helena SA | 250.4 | 263.3 | 246.5 | 229.0 | 230.1 | 231.1 | −1.6 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual Growth Rate |
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Distribution channels
The Japan's wine off-trade is dominated by store-based retailing, which enjoyed 94.1% of sales by volume in 2021, while convenience stores have been gaining prominence, growing at a CAGR of 0.7% from 2016 to 2021.
E-Commerce is quite popular, enjoying the biggest growth at a CAGR of 11.3% among all channels from 2016 to 2021, reaching 5.8% in 2021 from 4.2% in 2019.
| Distribution channel | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store-Based Retailing | 96.4 | 96.2 | 95.8 | 95.6 | 94.5 | 94.1 | −0.5 |
| Grocery Retailers | 90.3 | 90.1 | 89.7 | 89.4 | 88.6 | 88.2 | −0.5 |
| Modern Grocery Retailers | 59.2 | 58.5 | 58.9 | 59.1 | 60.1 | 59.9 | 0.2 |
| Convenience Stores | 8.8 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 0.7 |
| Supermarkets | 50.3 | 49.3 | 49.2 | 49.2 | 51.0 | 50.8 | 0.2 |
| Traditional Grocery Retailers | 31.2 | 31.6 | 30.8 | 30.3 | 28.5 | 28.3 | −1.9 |
| Food / drink / tobacco specialists | 29.8 | 30.3 | 29.7 | 29.3 | 27.6 | 27.4 | −1.7 |
| Independent Small Grocers | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | −8.5 |
| Non-Grocery Specialists | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 3.1 |
| Drugstores/parapharmacies | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 3.1 |
| Mixed Retailers | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 5.2 | −1.1 |
| Department Stores | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | −5.6 |
| Mass Merchandisers | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| Variety Stores | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | −1.9 |
| Warehouse Clubs | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Non-Store Retailing | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 10.4 |
| E-Commerce | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 11.3 |
| Vending | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | −12.9 |
| Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 | |||||||
Foreign wine in Japan – Imports
In 2022, Japan imported a total of Can$2,423.2 million wine from the world. France, Italy and Chile are the top three exporters to Japan's wine market and exported Can$1,404.0 million, Can$289.3 million and Can$208.3 million respectively in 2022. Canada is a relatively minor player in the Japan wine import market, with Can$1.1 million in wine exports to Japan in 2022. The growth is decreasing at a CAGR of −9.4% from 2017 to 2022.
| Category | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | CAGR* % 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 2,090.8 | 2,188.1 | 2,402.7 | 2,099.1 | 2,133.1 | 2,423.2 | 3.0 |
| France | 1,110.0 | 1,206.5 | 1,348.5 | 1,146.7 | 1,253.5 | 1,404.0 | 4.8 |
| Italy | 250.6 | 253.4 | 284.7 | 244.5 | 251.9 | 289.3 | 2.9 |
| Chile | 278.2 | 261.8 | 259.4 | 246.5 | 184.4 | 208.3 | −5.6 |
| United States | 159.3 | 167.8 | 183.9 | 167.3 | 143.2 | 200.5 | 4.7 |
| Spain | 128.0 | 128.4 | 155.1 | 146.2 | 153.6 | 157.1 | 4.2 |
| Australia | 58.0 | 64.3 | 62.3 | 53.4 | 51.3 | 59.8 | 0.6 |
| Germany | 20.5 | 21.1 | 24.8 | 22.5 | 24.9 | 25.4 | 4.4 |
| New Zealand | 16.0 | 15.6 | 15.9 | 15.7 | 14.8 | 17.0 | 1.2 |
| South Africa | 17.9 | 18.2 | 16.4 | 13.1 | 12.6 | 13.4 | −5.6 |
| Argentina | 22.7 | 18.8 | 19.5 | 14.3 | 11.8 | 12.7 | −11.0 |
| Canada (21) | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | −9.4 |
|
Source: Global Trade Tracker, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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Japan beer market
The Japan beer market was valued at US$25.1 billion in 2021. The growth seems to decline at a CAGR of −7.7% from 2016 to 2021. The Japan beer market was dominated by lager, which saw sales of US$23.3 billion in 2021 (92.8% of the beer market). Mid-priced lager was the largest subcategory, with US$ 11.4 billion in sales in 2021. The growth of all categories and subcategories were negative varying from −1.0% (domestic economic larger) to −16.4% (imported economy lager) except the non/low alcohol beer at a CAGR of 0.4% from 2016 to 2021.
| Category | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | 37,345.0 | 36,779.9 | 35,556.3 | 35,183.3 | 27,290.6 | 25,077.5 | −7.7 |
| Dark Beer | 640.4 | 726.5 | 778.1 | 877.4 | 690.0 | 475.8 | −5.8 |
| Ale | 520.1 | 579.4 | 638.2 | 747.0 | 604.3 | 410.0 | −4.6 |
| Weissbier / Weizen / Wheat Beer | 120.3 | 147.2 | 139.9 | 130.4 | 85.7 | 65.8 | −11.4 |
| Lager | 35,440.2 | 34,761.5 | 33,482.9 | 33,012.7 | 25,463.9 | 23,340.3 | −8.0 |
| Flavoured / Mixed Lager | 4.5 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | −10.4 |
| Standard Lager | 35,435.6 | 34,757.1 | 33,477.6 | 33,008.4 | 25,460.8 | 23,337.7 | −8.0 |
| Premium Lager | 3,627.0 | 3,560.6 | 3,485.4 | 3,520.3 | 2,501.6 | 2,297.3 | −8.7 |
| Domestic Premium Lager | 3,087.3 | 2,935.2 | 2,904.2 | 2,764.6 | 1,924.9 | 1,829.9 | −9.9 |
| Imported Premium Lager | 539.7 | 625.5 | 581.2 | 755.8 | 576.7 | 467.4 | −2.8 |
| Mid-Priced Lager | 21,493.3 | 20,878.7 | 19,677.8 | 19,073.4 | 12,548.7 | 11,445.3 | −11.8 |
| Domestic Mid-Priced Lager | 21,493.3 | 20,878.7 | 19,677.8 | 19,073.4 | 12,548.7 | 11,445.3 | −11.8 |
| Economy Lager | 10,315.4 | 10,317.8 | 10,314.4 | 10,414.6 | 10,410.5 | 9,595.1 | −1.4 |
| Domestic Economy Lager | 9,947.9 | 9,951.5 | 10,027.9 | 10,232.4 | 10,236.7 | 9,445.4 | −1.0 |
| Imported Economy Lager | 367.5 | 366.3 | 286.5 | 182.3 | 173.8 | 149.7 | −16.4 |
| Standard Lager by Origin | 35,435.6 | 34,757.1 | 33,477.6 | 33,008.4 | 25,460.8 | 23,337.7 | −8.0 |
| Domestic Lager | 34,528.5 | 33,765.3 | 32,609.9 | 32,070.4 | 24,710.3 | 22,720.6 | −8.0 |
| Domestic Premium Lager | 3,087.3 | 2,935.2 | 2,904.2 | 2,764.6 | 1,924.9 | 1,829.9 | −9.9 |
| Domestic Mid-Priced Lager | 21,493.3 | 20,878.7 | 19,677.8 | 19,073.4 | 12,548.7 | 11,445.3 | −11.8 |
| Domestic Economy Lager | 9,947.9 | 9,951.5 | 10,027.9 | 10,232.4 | 10,236.7 | 9,445.4 | −1.0 |
| Imported Lager | 907.1 | 991.8 | 867.7 | 938.0 | 750.5 | 617.1 | −7.4 |
| Imported Premium Lager | 539.7 | 625.5 | 581.2 | 755.8 | 576.7 | 467.4 | −2.8 |
| Imported Economy Lager | 367.5 | 366.3 | 286.5 | 182.3 | 173.8 | 149.7 | −16.4 |
| Non / Low Alcohol Beer | 1,205.1 | 1,235.9 | 1,241.8 | 1,238.6 | 1,098.9 | 1,232.2 | 0.4 |
| Non Alcoholic Beer | 1,205.1 | 1,235.9 | 1,241.8 | 1,238.6 | 1,098.9 | 1,232.2 | 0.4 |
| Stout | 59.4 | 55.9 | 53.5 | 54.7 | 37.8 | 29.2 | −13.2 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
|||||||
Flavoured/Mixed Lager and stout are expected to see the fastest growth, growing at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2021-2026, followed by ale at a CAGR of 9.9%, and imported premium larger at a CAGR of 8.2%.
| Category | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | CAGR* % 2021-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | 25,077.5 | 25,954.1 | 27,525.6 | 27,937.6 | 27,958.8 | 27,522.6 | 1.9 |
| Dark Beer | 475.8 | 574.6 | 679.4 | 720.7 | 740.6 | 743.4 | 9.3 |
| Ale | 410.0 | 502.1 | 599.2 | 635.6 | 654.3 | 656.8 | 9.9 |
| Weissbier / Weizen / Wheat Beer | 65.8 | 72.5 | 80.3 | 85.0 | 86.3 | 86.6 | 5.6 |
| Lager | 23,340.3 | 24,089.6 | 25,535.7 | 25,875.7 | 25,840.7 | 25,369.8 | 1.7 |
| Flavoured / Mixed Lager | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 10.1 |
| Standard Lager | 23,337.7 | 24,086.3 | 25,531.9 | 25,871.6 | 25,836.5 | 25,365.5 | 1.7 |
| Premium Lager | 2,297.3 | 2,436.5 | 2,607.9 | 2,687.3 | 2,690.1 | 2,642.9 | 2.8 |
| Domestic Premium Lager | 1,829.9 | 1,873.8 | 1,972.1 | 2,012.0 | 2,001.5 | 1,951.3 | 1.3 |
| Imported Premium Lager | 467.4 | 562.7 | 635.7 | 675.3 | 688.6 | 691.6 | 8.2 |
| Mid-Priced Lager | 11,445.3 | 12,343.1 | 13,644.7 | 14,261.8 | 14,450.1 | 14,121.6 | 4.3 |
| Domestic Mid-Priced Lager | 11,445.3 | 12,343.1 | 13,644.7 | 14,261.8 | 14,450.1 | 14,121.6 | 4.3 |
| Economy Lager | 9,595.1 | 9,306.8 | 9,279.3 | 8,922.5 | 8,696.2 | 8,601.0 | −2.2 |
| Domestic Economy Lager | 9,445.4 | 9,161.1 | 9,134.4 | 8,778.5 | 8,552.6 | 8,457.8 | −2.2 |
| Imported Economy Lager | 149.7 | 145.7 | 144.9 | 144.0 | 143.6 | 143.2 | −0.9 |
| Standard Lager by Origin | 23,337.7 | 24,086.3 | 25,531.9 | 25,871.6 | 25,836.5 | 25,365.5 | 1.7 |
| Domestic Lager | 22,720.6 | 23,377.9 | 24,751.3 | 25,052.2 | 25,004.2 | 24,530.7 | 1.5 |
| Domestic Premium Lager | 1,829.9 | 1,873.8 | 1,972.1 | 2,012.0 | 2,001.5 | 1,951.3 | 1.3 |
| Domestic Mid-Priced Lager | 11,445.3 | 12,343.1 | 13,644.7 | 14,261.8 | 14,450.1 | 14,121.6 | 4.3 |
| Domestic Economy Lager | 9,445.4 | 9,161.1 | 9,134.4 | 8,778.5 | 8,552.6 | 8,457.8 | −2.2 |
| Imported Lager | 617.1 | 708.4 | 780.6 | 819.4 | 832.2 | 834.8 | 6.2 |
| Imported Premium Lager | 467.4 | 562.7 | 635.7 | 675.3 | 688.6 | 691.6 | 8.2 |
| Imported Economy Lager | 149.7 | 145.7 | 144.9 | 144.0 | 143.6 | 143.2 | −0.9 |
| Non / Low Alcohol Beer | 1,232.2 | 1,252.5 | 1,267.2 | 1,295.3 | 1,330.3 | 1,362.1 | 2.0 |
| Non Alcoholic Beer | 1,232.2 | 1,252.5 | 1,267.2 | 1,295.3 | 1,330.3 | 1,362.1 | 2.0 |
| Stout | 29.2 | 37.4 | 43.2 | 45.9 | 47.3 | 47.3 | 10.1 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
|||||||
Off-trade and on-trade review
In 2021, the off-trade beer market accounted for US$18.6 billion in sales (74% of the beer market), while the on-trade market accounted for just US$6.5 billion (26% of the beer market). From 2016-2021, off-trade sales dropped by a CAGR of −1.2%, while on-trade sales dropped by a CAGR of −18.1%, driven by a rising trend in Japanese of drinking at home, rather than social drinking. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic was to greatly accelerate this trend, with on-trade sales falling by 40% compared with 2019 level: US$16.1 billion, and off trade sales almost remained the same, compared with 2019 level: US$19.1 billion.
The biggest growth was off-trade flavoured/mixed lager at a CAGR of 32.0% from 2016 to 2021, reaching US$0.8 million in 2021, followed by off-trade Imported Premium Lager at a CAGR of 29.8%. reaching US$68.9 million in 2021.
| Category | Trade type | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | Off | 19,713.2 | 19,534.9 | 19,182.7 | 19,058.0 | 18,853.1 | 18,569.5 | −1.2 |
| On | 17,631.9 | 17,245.0 | 16,373.6 | 16,125.4 | 8,437.5 | 6,508.0 | −18.1 | |
| Dark Beer | Off | 188.2 | 223.0 | 224.3 | 282.3 | 345.2 | 270.8 | 7.5 |
| On | 452.2 | 503.6 | 553.8 | 595.1 | 344.7 | 205.0 | −14.6 | |
| Ale | Off | 133.1 | 141.5 | 150.5 | 218.5 | 291.4 | 224.0 | 11.0 |
| On | 387.0 | 437.9 | 487.7 | 528.6 | 312.9 | 185.9 | −13.6 | |
| Weissbier / Weizen Wheat Beer | Off | 55.1 | 81.5 | 73.7 | 63.8 | 53.9 | 46.8 | −3.2 |
| On | 65.2 | 65.7 | 66.2 | 66.5 | 31.8 | 19.0 | −21.9 | |
| Lager | Off | 18,914.9 | 18,648.6 | 18,265.1 | 18,058.6 | 17,732.7 | 17,465.6 | −1.6 |
| On | 16,525.3 | 16,112.9 | 15,217.8 | 14,954.0 | 7,731.2 | 5,874.7 | −18.7 | |
| Flavoured / Mixed Lager | Off | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 32.0 |
| On | 4.3 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.8 | −16.0 | |
| Standard Lager | Off | 18,914.7 | 18,648.4 | 18,264.9 | 18,058.4 | 17,732.1 | 17,464.8 | −1.6 |
| On | 16,521.0 | 16,108.7 | 15,212.8 | 14,950.0 | 7,728.7 | 5,872.8 | −18.7 | |
| Premium Lager | Off | 2,198.2 | 2,075.0 | 2,070.2 | 1,957.5 | 1,564.3 | 1,580.0 | −6.4 |
| On | 1,428.7 | 1,485.7 | 1,415.1 | 1,562.8 | 937.3 | 717.3 | −12.9 | |
| Domestic Premium Lager | Off | 2,179.5 | 2,056.1 | 2,052.5 | 1,936.0 | 1,503.3 | 1,511.1 | −7.1 |
| On | 907.8 | 879.1 | 851.7 | 828.5 | 421.5 | 318.8 | −18.9 | |
| Imported Premium Lager | Off | 18.7 | 18.9 | 17.8 | 21.5 | 61.0 | 68.9 | 29.8 |
| On | 520.9 | 606.5 | 563.5 | 734.3 | 515.7 | 398.5 | −5.2 | |
| Mid-Priced Lager | Off | 7,051.5 | 6,906.2 | 6,528.7 | 6,332.2 | 6,069.6 | 6,502.5 | −1.6 |
| On | 14,441.8 | 13,972.5 | 13,149.1 | 12,741.2 | 6,479.1 | 4,942.8 | −19.3 | |
| Domestic Mid-Priced Lager | Off | 7,051.5 | 6,906.2 | 6,528.7 | 6,332.2 | 6,069.6 | 6,502.5 | −1.6 |
| On | 14,441.8 | 13,972.5 | 13,149.1 | 12,741.2 | 6,479.1 | 4,942.8 | −19.3 | |
| Economy Lager | Off | 9,665.0 | 9,667.2 | 9,665.9 | 9,768.7 | 10,098.2 | 9,382.3 | −0.6 |
| On | 650.4 | 650.6 | 648.6 | 646.0 | 312.4 | 212.8 | −20.0 | |
| Domestic Economy Lager | Off | 9,310.0 | 9,313.2 | 9,391.6 | 9,598.4 | 9,930.2 | 9,236.3 | −0.2 |
| On | 637.9 | 638.2 | 636.3 | 634.0 | 306.5 | 209.1 | −20.0 | |
| Imported Economy Lager | Off | 355.0 | 354.0 | 274.2 | 170.3 | 167.9 | 146.1 | −16.3 |
| On | 12.5 | 12.4 | 12.3 | 12.0 | 5.9 | 3.7 | −21.6 | |
| Non / Low Alcohol Beer | Off | 605.7 | 659.1 | 689.4 | 713.2 | 767.6 | 825.1 | 6.4 |
| On | 599.4 | 576.8 | 552.4 | 525.4 | 331.3 | 407.1 | −7.4 | |
| Non Alcoholic Beer | Off | 605.7 | 659.1 | 689.4 | 713.2 | 767.6 | 825.1 | 6.4 |
| On | 599.4 | 576.8 | 552.4 | 525.4 | 331.3 | 407.1 | −7.4 | |
| Stout | Off | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 12.7 |
| On | 55.0 | 51.7 | 49.5 | 50.9 | 30.3 | 21.2 | −17.4 | |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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From 2021 to 2026, on-trade sales of beer are expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7%, while off-trade sales decline at a CAGR of −1.7%. In 2026, on-trade sales are expected to partially recover to US$10.9 billion, still below their 2019 levels of US$16.1 billion and much below their 2016 levels of US$17.6 billion.
| Category | Trade type | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | CAGR* % 2021-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | Off | 18,569.5 | 18,031.9 | 17,747.0 | 17,130.4 | 16,835.6 | 16,558.0 | −1.7 |
| On | 6,508.0 | 7,922.2 | 9,778.5 | 10,807.2 | 11,123.2 | 10,964.6 | 6.7 | |
| Dark Beer | Off | 270.8 | 293.8 | 299.5 | 301.6 | 305.1 | 306.6 | 0.9 |
| On | 205.0 | 280.8 | 380.0 | 419.1 | 435.4 | 436.9 | 9.2 | |
| Ale | Off | 224.0 | 247.4 | 253.3 | 254.2 | 258.0 | 259.2 | 0.9 |
| On | 185.9 | 254.8 | 345.8 | 381.5 | 396.3 | 397.6 | 9.3 | |
| Weissbier / Weizen Wheat Beer | Off | 46.8 | 46.4 | 46.1 | 47.4 | 47.2 | 47.4 | 0.4 |
| On | 19.0 | 26.1 | 34.1 | 37.6 | 39.1 | 39.2 | 8.5 | |
| Lager | Off | 17,465.6 | 16,875.0 | 16,556.2 | 15,915.0 | 15,595.2 | 15,296.4 | −1.9 |
| On | 5,874.7 | 7,214.5 | 8,979.5 | 9,960.6 | 10,245.5 | 10,073.4 | 6.9 | |
| Flavoured / Mixed Lager | Off | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2.7 |
| On | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 7.0 | |
| Standard Lager | Off | 17,464.8 | 16,874.3 | 16,555.5 | 15,914.3 | 15,594.4 | 15,295.6 | −1.9 |
| On | 5,872.8 | 7,212.0 | 8,976.4 | 9,957.3 | 10,242.1 | 10,069.9 | 6.9 | |
| Premium Lager | Off | 1,580.0 | 1,543.2 | 1,513.3 | 1,485.7 | 1,463.9 | 1,428.7 | −1.5 |
| On | 717.3 | 893.3 | 1,094.6 | 1,201.5 | 1,226.2 | 1,214.2 | 6.3 | |
| Domestic Premium Lager | Off | 1,511.1 | 1,487.3 | 1,467.7 | 1,441.5 | 1,419.0 | 1,382.8 | −1.4 |
| On | 318.8 | 386.4 | 504.5 | 570.5 | 582.6 | 568.5 | 8.0 | |
| Imported Premium Lager | Off | 68.9 | 55.8 | 45.6 | 44.2 | 45.0 | 45.8 | −3.9 |
| On | 398.5 | 506.9 | 590.1 | 631.1 | 643.6 | 645.7 | 5.0 | |
| Mid-Priced Lager | Off | 6,502.5 | 6,282.9 | 6,078.6 | 5,844.8 | 5,775.7 | 5,597.3 | −2.3 |
| On | 4,942.8 | 6,060.2 | 7,566.1 | 8,416.9 | 8,674.4 | 8,524.3 | 7.1 | |
| Domestic Mid-Priced Lager | Off | 6,502.5 | 6,282.9 | 6,078.6 | 5,844.8 | 5,775.7 | 5,597.3 | −2.3 |
| On | 4,942.8 | 6,060.2 | 7,566.1 | 8,416.9 | 8,674.4 | 8,524.3 | 7.1 | |
| Economy Lager | Off | 9,382.3 | 9,048.3 | 8,963.6 | 8,583.7 | 8,354.8 | 8,269.6 | −1.8 |
| On | 212.8 | 258.5 | 315.7 | 338.8 | 341.5 | 331.4 | 5.1 | |
| Domestic Economy Lager | Off | 9,236.3 | 8,907.0 | 8,825.2 | 8,446.9 | 8,218.8 | 8,134.0 | −1.8 |
| On | 209.1 | 254.0 | 309.2 | 331.6 | 333.8 | 323.8 | 5.0 | |
| Imported Economy Lager | Off | 146.1 | 141.3 | 138.4 | 136.8 | 136.0 | 135.6 | −0.8 |
| On | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 7.2 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 11.1 | |
| Non / Low Alcohol Beer | Off | 825.1 | 855.8 | 884.4 | 907.1 | 928.8 | 948.5 | 2.1 |
| On | 407.1 | 396.8 | 382.8 | 388.2 | 401.6 | 413.5 | 0.8 | |
| Non Alcoholic Beer | Off | 825.1 | 855.8 | 884.4 | 907.1 | 928.8 | 948.5 | 2.1 |
| On | 407.1 | 396.8 | 382.8 | 388.2 | 401.6 | 413.5 | 0.8 | |
| Stout | Off | 8.0 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.5 | −2.6 |
| On | 21.2 | 30.0 | 36.3 | 39.2 | 40.7 | 40.8 | 6.3 | |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth |
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Company shares
Asahi Group Holdings Ltd is the leading company, retail sales reaching US$8.9 billion in 2021, less than pre-pandemic level in 2019: US$13.7 billion and much less than 2016 level: US$15.2 billion. Its growth dropped at a CAGR of −10.1% from 2016 to 2021. It is followed by Kirin Holdings Co Ltd (US$7.4 billion) and Suntory Holdings Ltd (US$3.6 billion). All the top 10 companies have negative growths varying from −0.8% (Anheuser-Busch InBev NV) to −19.0% (Carlsberg A/S) from 2016 to 2021 except private label with a positive growth at a CAGR of 12.4%.
| Companies | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asahi Group Holdings Ltd | 15,281.4 | 14,601.2 | 13,885.3 | 13,683.8 | 10,074.7 | 8,979.1 | −10.1 |
| Kirin Holdings Co Ltd | 10,471.3 | 9,923.1 | 9,848.6 | 9,856.0 | 8,060.4 | 7,373.5 | −6.8 |
| Suntory Holdings Ltd | 4,790.5 | 4,577.7 | 4,694.4 | 4,859.0 | 4,100.8 | 3,613.9 | −5.5 |
| Sapporo Holdings Ltd | 4,234.5 | 4,075.1 | 3,892.5 | 3,920.1 | 3,083.5 | 2,703.7 | −8.6 |
| Anheuser-Busch InBev NV | 361.9 | 444.5 | 409.3 | 498.6 | 428.2 | 347.1 | −0.8 |
| Orion Breweries Ltd | 295.4 | 287.7 | 276.6 | 269.9 | 202.5 | 178.4 | −9.6 |
| Heineken NV | 77.3 | 77.9 | 86.4 | 124.3 | 73.9 | 61.8 | −4.4 |
| Carlsberg A/S | 61.5 | 57.8 | 54.4 | 52.2 | 27.9 | 21.5 | −19.0 |
| Private Label | 285.1 | 268.6 | 493.7 | 481.1 | 536.2 | 511.9 | 12.4 |
| Others | 1,816.2 | 1,673.8 | 1,699.7 | 1,678.8 | 1,464.2 | 1,286.6 | −6.7 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual Growth Rate |
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Distribution channels
The Japan's beer off-trade is dominated by store-based retailing, which enjoyed 96.1% of sales by volume in 2021, while non-grocery specialists such as drugstores/parapharmacies have been gaining prominence, growing at the biggest CAGR of 8.4% from 2016 to 2021 among all distribution channels.
E-Commerce is quite popular, enjoying the second biggest growth at a CAGR of 3.5% among all channels from 2016 to 2021, reaching 3.2% in 2021 from 2.4% in 2019.
| Distribution channel | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-201 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store-Based Retailing | 96.3 | 96.7 | 96.7 | 96.7 | 96.2 | 96.1 | 0.0 |
| Grocery Retailers | 85.9 | 86.2 | 86.0 | 86.0 | 85.8 | 85.6 | −0.1 |
| Modern Grocery Retailers | 68.5 | 68.8 | 68.8 | 69.0 | 69.9 | 70.2 | 0.5 |
| Convenience Stores | 22.2 | 22.5 | 22.7 | 22.8 | 21.8 | 21.9 | −0.3 |
| Supermarkets | 46.4 | 46.3 | 46.1 | 46.2 | 48.1 | 48.3 | 0.8 |
| Traditional Grocery Retailers | 17.4 | 17.4 | 17.1 | 17.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | −2.4 |
| Food / drink / tobacco specialists | 15.4 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 13.6 | −2.5 |
| Independent Small Grocers | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | −2.1 |
| Non-Grocery Specialists | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 8.4 |
| Drugstores/parapharmacies | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 8.4 |
| Mixed Retailers | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 8.9 | −1.1 |
| Department Stores | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.4 | −6.9 |
| Mass Merchandisers | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.7 |
| Variety Stores | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.5 | −1.5 |
| Warehouse Clubs | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | N/C |
| Non-Store Retailing | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 1.1 |
| E-Commerce | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| Vending | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 | −6.9 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual Growth Rate N/C: Not calculable |
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Foreign beer in Japan – Imports
In the years leading up to 2022, Japan imports of beer had been enjoying growth, rising by a CAGR of 4.0% from 2017-2022. However, in 2022, imports of beer peaked at the value of Can$95.3 million, and surpassed the 2019 level: Can$87.7 million. Top three exporters are South Korea growing at the biggest CAGR of 38.7%, followed by Mexico at a CAGR of −1.2% and United States at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2017 to 2022.
Canada was not a major player in the Japan beer market, with just Can$456.800 in exports in 2022. Even so, Canada has seen its beer exports grow at a CAGR of 4.2%
European beers continue to be popular among Japan consumers, who generally perceive European beer positively.
| Country | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | CAGR* % 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 78,231.2 | 71,653.8 | 87,668.6 | 78,852.3 | 78,843.1 | 95,261.4 | 4.0 |
| South Korea | 2,918.9 | 2,497.6 | 2,808.2 | 3,011.2 | 7,810.8 | 14,963.0 | 38.7 |
| Mexico | 15,731.2 | 12,394.1 | 16,484.2 | 16,532.7 | 14,179.1 | 14819.7 | −1.2 |
| United States | 8,808.4 | 10,983.9 | 20,703.9 | 20,565.9 | 15,484.9 | 12,217.1 | 6.8 |
| Ireland | 10,631.7 | 10,430.2 | 12,696.7 | 9,188.2 | 9,345.7 | 9,578.7 | −2.1 |
| Belgium | 11,074.1 | 9,783.2 | 9,315.8 | 8,271.3 | 7,911.7 | 9,226.5 | −3.6 |
| Germany | 7,923.1 | 6,952.3 | 6,951.0 | 5,269.3 | 5,548.2 | 8,812.8 | 2.2 |
| United Kingdom | 5,311.5 | 4,751.2 | 3,232.1 | 2,900.9 | 3,603.1 | 4,456.8 | −3.4 |
| Italy | 2,121.6 | 1,789.9 | 2,107.4 | 1,774.8 | 2,154.5 | 3,170.9 | 8.4 |
| China | 1,748.2 | 1,756.4 | 1,761.4 | 1,260.4 | 989.8 | 2,367.2 | 6.2 |
| Spain | 1,262.1 | 1,209.2 | 1,266.5 | 1,188.2 | 1,808.6 | 2,255.8 | 12.3 |
| Canada (17th) | 371.8 | 256.2 | 342.2 | 380.8 | 322.7 | 456.8 | 4.2 |
|
Source: Global Trade Tracker, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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Japan spirits market
The Japan spirits market dramatically declined to US$18.8 billion in 2021 from US$28.1 billion in 2019. Its growth was a negative CAGR of −5.7% from 2016 to 2021. The Japan spirits market is dominated by whiskies, which saw US$8.9 billion in sales in 2021, accounting for 47% of all sales in 2021 of any products in the spirits category. But compared with the sales at US$13.4 billion in 2019, it significantly declined.
| Category | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirits | 25,255.2 | 26,051.6 | 27,172.8 | 28,145.7 | 22,403.1 | 18,828.1 | −5.7 |
| Brandy and Cognac | 445.9 | 429.8 | 401.9 | 392.3 | 276.0 | 247.3 | −11.1 |
| Brandy | 278.4 | 270.4 | 254.6 | 249.5 | 181.6 | 165.5 | −9.9 |
| Cognac | 167.5 | 159.4 | 147.3 | 142.7 | 94.4 | 81.8 | −13.4 |
| Liqueurs | 2,025.6 | 1,846.1 | 1,851.7 | 1,936.0 | 1,331.6 | 1,058.9 | −12.2 |
| Bitters | 79.2 | 47.5 | 73.6 | 72.1 | 51.3 | 44.6 | −10.8 |
| Cream-based Liqueurs | 60.7 | 58.3 | 56.7 | 55.8 | 40.9 | 33.2 | −11.4 |
| Other Liqueurs | 1,885.7 | 1,740.4 | 1,721.5 | 1,808.2 | 1,239.5 | 981.2 | −12.2 |
| Rum | 209.2 | 206.8 | 210.6 | 204.8 | 168.8 | 145.5 | −7.0 |
| Dark Rum | 117.4 | 115.6 | 117.2 | 119.5 | 98.7 | 83.6 | −6.6 |
| White Rum | 91.8 | 91.3 | 93.3 | 85.2 | 70.1 | 61.8 | −7.6 |
| Tequila (and Mezcal) | 312.5 | 340.5 | 368.3 | 435.4 | 345.6 | 319.4 | 0.4 |
| Whiskies | 9,259.8 | 10,683.1 | 12,204.7 | 13,439.5 | 10,948.6 | 8,921.5 | −0.7 |
| Bourbon / Other American Whiskey | 517.8 | 540.4 | 634.0 | 726.0 | 568.3 | 508.8 | −0.4 |
| Canadian Whisky | 55.1 | 65.3 | 71.9 | 85.4 | 75.5 | 64.1 | 3.1 |
| Irish Whiskey | 39.8 | 41.7 | 50.1 | 52.9 | 44.5 | 35.9 | −2.0 |
| Japanese Whisky | 6,921.6 | 7,958.7 | 9,067.5 | 9,880.0 | 8,010.6 | 6,453.6 | −1.4 |
| Blended Scotch Whisky | 1,182.2 | 1,497.1 | 1,726.6 | 1,995.9 | 1,693.4 | 1,416.6 | 3.7 |
| Single Malt Scotch Whisky | 543.3 | 579.8 | 654.6 | 699.3 | 556.3 | 442.4 | −4.0 |
| White Spirits | 816.9 | 854.0 | 884.2 | 907.3 | 624.4 | 512.6 | −8.9 |
| Gin | 257.9 | 263.1 | 281.5 | 275.1 | 208.7 | 196.9 | −5.3 |
| Vodka | 559.0 | 590.9 | 602.8 | 632.2 | 415.7 | 315.7 | −10.8 |
| Other Spirits | 12,185.2 | 11,691.2 | 11,251.5 | 10,830.4 | 8,708.1 | 7,623.0 | −9.0 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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Spirits is expected to reach US$25.4 billion growing at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2021 to 2026, but not able to return to US$28.1 billion in 2019.
Whisky is expected to recover in 2026 at the value of US$13.6 billion, returning to and surpassing 2019 level: US$13.4 billion, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2021 to 2026. All the categories and subcategories demonstrate a positive growth ranging from 2.1% (white rum) to 10.7% (gin) from 2021 to 2026. Some sales in 2026 can return to pre-pandemic levels while most sales in 2026 cannot return to pre-pandemic levels.
| Category | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | CAGR* % 2021-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirits | 18,828.1 | 21,355.7 | 23,317.3 | 24,490.4 | 25,027.2 | 25,352.0 | 6.1 |
| Brandy and Cognac | 247.3 | 266.6 | 287.5 | 306.2 | 307.4 | 308.7 | 4.5 |
| Brandy | 165.5 | 174.5 | 185.5 | 194.8 | 195.6 | 196.6 | 3.5 |
| Cognac | 81.8 | 92.1 | 102.0 | 111.4 | 111.8 | 112.2 | 6.5 |
| Liqueurs | 1,058.9 | 1,187.3 | 1,348.7 | 1,413.0 | 1,419.0 | 1,424.4 | 6.1 |
| Bitters | 44.6 | 51.2 | 56.1 | 59.5 | 61.6 | 61.5 | 6.6 |
| Cream-based Liqueurs | 33.2 | 37.8 | 39.9 | 41.3 | 41.4 | 41.6 | 4.6 |
| Other Liqueurs | 981.2 | 1,098.4 | 1,252.6 | 1,312.2 | 1,316.0 | 1,321.3 | 6.1 |
| Rum | 145.5 | 157.6 | 164.0 | 167.9 | 169.4 | 168.3 | 3.0 |
| Dark Rum | 83.6 | 91.8 | 96.4 | 98.6 | 99.9 | 99.6 | 3.6 |
| White Rum | 61.8 | 65.7 | 67.7 | 69.3 | 69.5 | 68.7 | 2.1 |
| Tequila (and Mezcal) | 319.4 | 367.6 | 393.8 | 404.7 | 411.6 | 411.7 | 5.2 |
| Whiskies | 8,921.5 | 10,546.4 | 11,799.7 | 12,687.0 | 13,252.0 | 13,550.0 | 8.7 |
| Bourbon / Other American Whiskey | 508.8 | 546.9 | 626.3 | 676.8 | 702.7 | 719.6 | 7.2 |
| Canadian Whisky | 64.1 | 72.7 | 80.3 | 82.1 | 84.9 | 86.8 | 6.3 |
| Irish Whiskey | 35.9 | 42.0 | 48.1 | 50.6 | 52.8 | 53.8 | 8.4 |
| Japanese Whisky | 6,453.6 | 7,704.7 | 8,550.0 | 9,220.3 | 9,651.0 | 9,866.4 | 8.9 |
| Blended Scotch Whisky | 1,416.6 | 1,648.1 | 1,879.8 | 1,997.9 | 2,067.3 | 2,114.2 | 8.3 |
| Single Malt Scotch Whisky | 442.4 | 531.9 | 615.1 | 659.1 | 693.3 | 709.2 | 9.9 |
| White Spirits | 512.6 | 609.0 | 700.5 | 755.9 | 780.4 | 791.3 | 9.1 |
| Gin | 196.9 | 235.2 | 278.7 | 304.3 | 317.5 | 326.8 | 10.7 |
| Vodka | 315.7 | 373.9 | 421.8 | 451.6 | 462.9 | 464.5 | 8.0 |
| Other Spirits | 7,623.0 | 8,221.2 | 8,622.9 | 8,755.8 | 8,687.3 | 8,697.6 | 2.7 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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Off-trade and on-trade review
In 2021, the Japan spirit market was largely dominated by the on-trade. Total on-trade sales were US$ 11.6 billion (62% of the spirit market), while off-trade sales were US$7.3 billion (38%). The Japan spirits market saw a significant shift from the on-trade to the off-trade during the pandemic. The on-trade sales almost dropped 50% from 2019 level: US$21.7 billion in 2019 to US$11.6 billion in 2021 while off-trade increased from 2019 level: US$6.4 billion to US$7.3 billion in 2021.
From 2016 to 2021, almost all off-trade sales have been increasing across all categories and subcategories while on-trade declined significantly.
| Category | Trade type | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirits | Off | 6,348.0 | 6,411.5 | 6,407.6 | 6,428.0 | 7,062.4 | 7,276.2 | 2.8 |
| On | 18,907.2 | 19,640.1 | 20,765.3 | 21,717.7 | 15,340.7 | 11,551.8 | −9.4 | |
| Brandy and Cognac | Off | 115.2 | 111.3 | 103.7 | 100.8 | 113.9 | 118.1 | 0.5 |
| On | 330.7 | 318.5 | 298.2 | 291.5 | 162.1 | 129.1 | −17.1 | |
| Liqueurs | Off | 238.9 | 225.9 | 236.7 | 242.9 | 259.2 | 245.0 | 0.5 |
| On | 1,786.7 | 1,620.2 | 1,615.0 | 1,693.1 | 1,072.5 | 814.0 | −14.5 | |
| Rum | Off | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| On | 206.4 | 204.1 | 207.7 | 202.0 | 165.6 | 142.3 | −7.2 | |
| Tequila (and Mezcal) | Off | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 9.9 |
| On | 310.0 | 337.8 | 365.4 | 432.4 | 342.2 | 315.4 | 0.3 | |
| Whiskies | Off | 1,837.9 | 2,087.4 | 2,328.2 | 2,549.2 | 2,924.0 | 3,144.1 | 11.3 |
| On | 7,421.9 | 8,595.7 | 9,876.5 | 10,890.2 | 8,024.6 | 5,777.3 | −4.9 | |
| White Spirits | Off | 36.1 | 36.9 | 38.7 | 38.3 | 82.0 | 105.2 | 23.9 |
| On | 780.8 | 817.1 | 845.5 | 869.0 | 542.3 | 407.3 | −12.2 | |
| Other Spirits | Off | 4,114.6 | 3,944.5 | 3,694.6 | 3,491.0 | 3,676.7 | 3,656.5 | −2.3 |
| On | 8,070.6 | 7,746.7 | 7,556.9 | 7,339.4 | 5,031.4 | 3,966.4 | −13.2 | |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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From 2021 to 2026, the on-trade is expected to see sales growth, but it never returns to the pre-pandemic time. On-trade sales of spirits in 2026 are expected to be US$18.0 billion, below their 2019 level of US$21.7 billion. Off-trade sales are expected to reach US$7.3 billion by 2026, higher than the 2019 level: US$6.4 billion.
The sale of white spirits through the on-trade is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.7% from 2021-2026, while off trade sales of whiskies are expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9%, the biggest growth among all categories, reaching US$3.4 billion, surpassing 2019 level: US$2.5 billion. On-trade sales of whiskey are still at US$10.1 billion, however, expected to remain well below 2019 levels: US$10.9 billion.
| Category | Trade type | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | CAGR* % 2021-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirits | Off | 7,276.2 | 7,228.7 | 7,196.8 | 7,187.3 | 7,255.9 | 7,342.5 | 0.2 |
| On | 11,551.8 | 14,127.0 | 16,120.5 | 17,303.1 | 17,771.4 | 18,009.5 | 9.3 | |
| Brandy and Cognac | Off | 118.1 | 113.2 | 108.6 | 105.1 | 105.4 | 105.8 | −2.2 |
| On | 129.1 | 153.4 | 178.9 | 201.2 | 202.0 | 202.9 | 9.5 | |
| Liqueurs | Off | 245.0 | 243.1 | 241.9 | 241.2 | 242.0 | 243.6 | −0.1 |
| On | 814.0 | 944.2 | 1,106.8 | 1,171.8 | 1,177.0 | 1,180.7 | 7.7 | |
| Rum | Off | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.5 | −4.8 |
| On | 142.3 | 154.6 | 161.2 | 165.2 | 166.8 | 165.8 | 3.1 | |
| Tequila (and Mezcal) | Off | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | −4.4 |
| On | 315.4 | 363.9 | 390.4 | 401.4 | 408.4 | 408.5 | 5.3 | |
| Whiskies | Off | 3,144.1 | 3,173.1 | 3,198.7 | 3,260.8 | 3,341.5 | 3,435.1 | 1.8 |
| On | 5,777.3 | 7,373.3 | 8,601.0 | 9,426.2 | 9,910.5 | 10,114.9 | 11.9 | |
| White Spirits | Off | 105.2 | 108.1 | 109.9 | 111.4 | 112.8 | 114.3 | 1.7 |
| On | 407.3 | 500.9 | 590.6 | 644.5 | 667.6 | 677.0 | 10.7 | |
| Other Spirits | Off | 3,656.5 | 3,584.5 | 3,531.4 | 3,462.9 | 3,448.3 | 3,438.0 | −1.2 |
| On | 3,966.4 | 4,636.7 | 5,091.5 | 5,292.9 | 5,239.0 | 5,259.7 | 5.8 | |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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Companies
Suntory Holdings Ltd is the leading company, retail sales reaching US$4.2 billion in 2021, less than pre-pandemic level in 2019: US$7.2 billion and also less than 2016 level: US$5.6 billion. Its growth dropped at a CAGR of −5.6% from 2016 to 2021. It is followed by Asahi Group Holdings Ltd (US$1.5 billion) and Takara Holdings Inc (US$1.3 billion). All the top 10 companies have negative growths varying from −0.4% (Diageo Plc) to −12.0% (Kirin Holdings Co Ltd) from 2016 to 2021.
| Companies | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suntory Holdings Ltd | 5,566.2 | 6,054.8 | 6,708.8 | 7,202.1 | 5,624.4 | 4,167.4 | −5.6 |
| Asahi Group Holdings Ltd | 2,627.4 | 2,742.5 | 2,842.3 | 2,991.7 | 2,195.9 | 1,458.3 | −11.1 |
| Takara Holdings Inc | 1,953.3 | 1,962.2 | 1,824.3 | 1,743.5 | 1,630.4 | 1,299.2 | −7.8 |
| Kirishima Corp | 1,481.2 | 1,481.2 | 1,387.8 | 1,296.0 | 1,277.2 | 1,064.1 | −6.4 |
| Oenon Holdings Inc | 1,077.4 | 1,157.9 | 1,129.3 | 1,115.0 | 1,125.9 | 925.0 | −3.0 |
| Sanwa Shurui Co Ltd | 1,237.6 | 1,182.4 | 1,116.6 | 1,084.0 | 1,071.2 | 892.5 | −6.3 |
| Diageo Plc | 716.7 | 775.4 | 852.3 | 868.7 | 767.3 | 703.1 | −0.4 |
| Pernod Ricard Groupe | 602.3 | 654.1 | 689.6 | 713.0 | 634.9 | 570.1 | −1.1 |
| Kirin Holdings Co Ltd | 753.2 | 742.0 | 811.8 | 728.6 | 560.6 | 398.1 | −12.0 |
| Hamada Syuzou Co Ltd | 339.2 | 338.9 | 406.0 | 387.3 | 395.3 | 329.9 | −0.6 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual Growth Rate |
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Distribution channels
The Japan's spirits off-trade is dominated by store-based retailing, which enjoyed 95.9% of sales by volume in 2021, while non-grocery specialists such as drugstores/parapharmacies have been gaining prominence, growing at the second biggest CAGR of 7.6% from 2016 to 2021 among all distribution channels.
Non-store retailing/E-Commerce is quite popular, enjoying the biggest growth at a CAGR of 8.7% among all channels from 2016 to 2021, reaching 4.1% in 2021 from 3.0% in 2019.
| Distribution channel | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | CAGR* % 2016-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store-Based Retailing | 97.3 | 97.2 | 97.0 | 97.0 | 96.4 | 95.9 | −0.3 |
| Grocery Retailers | 85.3 | 85.1 | 84.2 | 84.5 | 85.0 | 84.5 | −0.2 |
| Modern Grocery Retailers | 47.7 | 47.2 | 48.4 | 49.1 | 54.0 | 54.0 | 2.5 |
| Convenience Stores | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.1 | −0.9 |
| Supermarkets | 45.5 | 44.9 | 46.0 | 46.7 | 51.8 | 51.8 | 2.6 |
| Traditional Grocery Retailers | 37.6 | 37.9 | 35.8 | 35.4 | 31.0 | 30.6 | −4.0 |
| Food / drink / tobacco specialists | 35.3 | 35.6 | 33.6 | 33.2 | 29.2 | 28.7 | −4.1 |
| Independent Small Grocers | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.8 | −4.8 |
| Non-Grocery Specialists | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 7.6 |
| Drugstores/parapharmacies | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 7.6 |
| Mixed Retailers | 11.0 | 11.2 | 11.8 | 11.5 | 10.1 | 10.1 | −1.7 |
| Department Stores | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 2.9 | −6.7 |
| Mass Merchandisers | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 3.5 |
| Variety Stores | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.1 | −4.2 |
| Warehouse Clubs | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | N/C |
| Non-Store Retailing | 2.7 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 8.7 |
| E-Commerce | 2.7 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 8.7 |
|
Source: Euromonitor International, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual Growth Rate N/C: Not calculable |
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Foreign spirits
Japan's imports of foreign spirits totalled Can$962.7 million in 2022, but not returned to 2019 level: Can$1,083.7 million and grew at a CAGR of 1.2% from 2017-2022, despite a significant drop in imports in 2021: Can$842.1 million.
From 2017-2022, Canadian spirit exports have increased and in 2022 reached Can$31.3 million, from Can$8.9 million in 2017 and Can$11.4 million in 2019. Canada, the 6th biggest exporter, has seen growth at a CAGR of 28.6% from 2017 to 2022, the biggest growth among the top ten exporters.
| Country | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | CAGR* % 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 904.8 | 989.2 | 1,083.7 | 905.4 | 842.1 | 962.7 | 1.2 |
| United Kingdom | 332.9 | 399.6 | 447.6 | 387.1 | 398.3 | 449.4 | 6.2 |
| United States | 167.5 | 185.7 | 218.4 | 186.6 | 147.6 | 149.9 | −2.2 |
| France | 119.8 | 130.3 | 127.4 | 93.1 | 71.3 | 85.7 | −6.5 |
| Korea | 121.3 | 117.5 | 115.1 | 80.4 | 71.8 | 62.3 | −12.5 |
| Mexico | 32.2 | 25.0 | 32.6 | 27.0 | 22.7 | 44.8 | 6.8 |
| Canada | 8.9 | 12.5 | 11.4 | 27.9 | 25.2 | 31.3 | 28.6 |
| China | 14.1 | 14.1 | 18.6 | 9.5 | 8.3 | 25.1 | 12.2 |
| Germany | 9.9 | 11.1 | 10.9 | 9.3 | 14.7 | 17.4 | 11.9 |
| Ireland | 8.9 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 15.6 | 11.9 |
| Netherlands | 23.0 | 20.1 | 21.9 | 13.3 | 7.5 | 14.2 | −9.2 |
|
Source: Global Trade Tracker, 2023 *CAGR: Compound annual growth rate |
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For more information
The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service:
International Trade Commissioners can provide Canadian industry with on-the-ground expertise regarding market potential, current conditions and local business contacts, and are an excellent point of contact for export advice.
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For additional information on FoodEx Japan 2023, please contact:
Ben Berry, Deputy Director
Trade Show Strategy and Delivery
Agriculture and agri-food Canada
ben.berry@agr.gc.ca
Resources
- Euromonitor International. Alcoholic Drinks in Japan, June 2022
- Euromonitor International. Beer in Japan, June 2022
- Euromonitor International. Spirits in Japan, June 2022
- Euromonitor International. Wine in Japan, June 2022
- Global Trade Tracker, 2023
Sector Trend Analysis – Wine, beer and spirits Japan
Global Analysis Report
Prepared by: Hongli Wang, market analyst
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (2023).
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