August 10, 2009
Japanese sake jumping in export
| Sake exports have rapidly increased due to the popularity of Japanese food. Presently, the consumption of sake is a worldwide phenomenon. Not only is this beverage consumed by Japanese who are overseas, but also by the locals in those foreign countries. Sake is a fermented beverage made of rice. Although sake can be made anywhere in Japan, the famous sakes are produced in regions that either have a supply of clean water or superior rice quality. Sales of Japanese sake have been low in the domestic market for years due to the increasing demand of alternative alcoholic beverage drinks like Shochu, a type of distilled spirit made from fermented rice, potatoes, or wheat. The consumption of sake in Japan hit its peak of 1.67 million kiloliters in 1975 and dropped to 0.66 million kiloliters, less than half of the peak, in 2007. The major sake brewers are trying hard to promote their products to overseas markets in order to find a means of survival and some are even expanding their productions abroad. The U.S. is the largest importer of sake. Imports increased to 3,843 in 2008 which is twice as much as in 2001. According to an American living in Japan, “recently luxury sakes like "Daiginjo" (exceptional sake which is brewed with hard water) are getting more popular in the United States.” Asian countries have also increased their demand. In 2008, 1,529 kiloliters of sake was exported to South Korea where they recently experienced a sake boom. This amount is approximately fifty times as many as in 1998. The export to China in 2008 also showed a significant growth, 9 times as much as in 1998. The quantity of sake exports started increasing ten years ago. According to the statistics of foreign trade by the Ministry of Finance, all sake exports overseas totaled 12,151 kiloliters in 2008, which was 1.7 times more than in 2001. The expectation within the industry is that the growing reputation overseas will stimulate the sales in Japan. |
