Liquor

In 2024, imports of wines came in at 151 billion yen and 98 billion yen for sparkling wines, including champagnes. Together, they took up about 47% of total imports of alcoholic beverages. This is by far the biggest segment of alcohol. European whiskies are also an important category with a value of 57 billion yen in 2024, followed by wine-based spirits such as Cognac and brandies (7.13 billion yen in 2024). Traditional local categories such as sake, shochu, beer, umeshu (plum liqueurs) and local brandy will continue to decline, as the consumer base is shrinking and younger demographics find other, trendier categories more appealing, such as wines and champagnes.

For many years, international alcohol industry importers and local leading producers in Japan have invested in building a portfolio of brands of a premium nature with high standards of quality. A product defect in relation to any of our brands can destroy brand equity and the reputation of brand owners at a global level. Traceability information enables efficient and targeted responses to product safety incidents, without serious trade disruption. Where a recall is deemed necessary, it is critical that the brand manufacturer’s original lot code be easily identified to rapidly implement the recall.

By implementing these provisions, Japan aligns itself to food safety measures adopted by other jurisdictions, including in the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.  In the United States for example, US regulations prohibit the alteration, removal and/or destruction of any mark, brand or label on alcoholic beverage containers that are sold on the market.