Japan’s sake sellers eye China market as domestic demand shrinks

A declining population and changing tastes among young people have been blamed for falling sake sales in Japan

But China’s growing middle class and booming restaurant industry offers sellers of the traditional drink new opportunities

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Sake can now be found in many major Chinese cities’ restaurants and stores. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 8:00am, 9 Nov 2019Updated: 8:00am, 9 Nov 2019

Sake sellers in Japan are looking to tap into China’s growing taste for the traditional Japanese rice wine to counter falling consumption back home.

Fuelled by an increasing number of Japanese restaurants and rising Chinese household incomes, sake can now be found in many restaurants and department stores in major Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing.

At the second China International Import Expo in Shanghai this week, more than 110 Japanese firms gathered to promote Japanese food and agricultural products including sake.

On the first day that the expo was opened to buyers, Japanese stalls were crowded with potential clients looking to get a shot glass-sized sampling of sake or a mouthful of Japan-grown rice.

Japanese rice was among the products on offer at the expo. Photo: Shutterstock

Akinori Oishi, general manager of Ikekame Shuzo, said the Fukuoka-based brewery’s overseas sales have grown 150 per cent over the past five years, with China leading the growth.

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