Yomiuri: Japanese Beer Defying South Korea's Sober Wave

What happened

Imports of Japanese beer to South Korea reached a record high of about 98,000 tons in 2025, and local production of Kirin Ichiban, the flagship beer of Kirin Brewery Co., started in September, even as South Korea's overall alcohol shipments fell 22% from a decade earlier.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

Kirin is expanding where locals already recognize the brand, since travel to Japan built familiarity. Starting local production can cut shipping costs and import duties, which may support profit per sale while overall alcohol demand in South Korea shrinks.

Analyst inference

South Korea's broader alcohol market is contracting as health consciousness rises and social gathering habits change. Japanese beer is gaining share against that trend, so growth depends on taking customers from other brands rather than on a growing total market.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Korea Customs Service figures show Japanese beer imports near 98,000 tons in 2025, and the article says that record is expected to be broken again in 2026. Confirmed
2. Watch whether Kirin raises output at its new South Korean site, which would show local production replacing imports and lowering shipping and duty costs per sale. Proposed
3. Track whether Japanese beer keeps rising while total alcohol shipments fall; if gains slow, the brand may be taking share rather than adding new drinkers. Analyst inference

Evidence

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