Liquor

November 2003

Nearly 20% of low-malt beer drinkers have cut down on their consumption since the tax on the beverage was hiked in May, according to a survey conducted by Japan's top five brewers. In the survey, 19.2% of the respondents said that they have switched to such alcoholic beverages as shochu or chu-hi, a cocktail of shochu and a soft drink, with 0.9% saying that they have stopped drinking low-malt beer completely. Low-malt beer was still the most popular drink, however, with 93.2% of the respondents naming it as their alcoholic beverage of choice when drinking at home. Of those who have switched, Shochu was the No.1 alternative at 40.8%, followed by Chu-Hi, which was picked by 31.6%. Only 19.7% said they drink regular beer. The survey, conducted in late May, interviewed 1,066 consumers who drink low-malt beer. (November 14, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun)

Wine exports from France to Japan in the 12 months through July dropped 10.6% from a year earlier, according to wine producers' data. The substantial fall in exports to Japan has partly caused a 2.7% fall in France's overall wine exports, which stood at 1.51 million kiloliters for the year. A wine industry official attributed the slowed exports to Japan to the liquor tax hike in May and weak economic activity. Exports to the United States decreased 8.8%, reflecting anti-French sentiment following the French government's opposition to the U.S. led war in Iraq. (November 7, the Japan Times)