Japan Exported Sake to 81 Markets in 2025, as Breweries Push Overseas Sales

By Rintaro Kaizuka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

6:00 JST, April 4, 2026

Japanese sake exports are thriving. As the domestic market shrinks alongside a shrinking population, breweries across Japan are seeking sales overseas, and in 2025, sake was exported to a record 81 countries and regions. But prices for sake rice and other brewing ingredients have risen, stoking concerns about further export growth.

A sweeter finish

Nakazawa Shuzo, a brewery in Matsuda, Kanagawa Prefecture, with a more than 200-year history, began exporting to Spain last year. It now exports to six countries, including China, the United States and Singapore.

Its main export is S.tokyo, a label brewed specifically for overseas markets. Made with a special yeast, it has a sweeter profile. At restaurants abroad, it is said to be enjoyed much like a dessert wine.

Akira Kagiwada, the 11th-generation head of the brewery, said, “As the domestic market contracts, we want to steadily expand our sales channels overseas.” The brewery plans to increase shipments by also rolling out dry sake with a clean finish that goes better with food.

Near record highs

In 2025, sake export volume rose 8% from a year earlier to about 33.5 million liters, while export value increased 6% to about ¥45.9 billion, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association. Both figures approached record highs set in 2022.

For export value, China ranked first at ¥13.3 billion. Exports to South Korea, Canada and France hit record high sums, underscoring how the overseas market is broadening amid the global popularity of Japanese cuisine. Exports to the United States fell 3% to ¥11 billion, with the Trump administration’s tariffs believed to have had a limited impact.

Hakkaisan Brewery Co., located in Niigata Prefecture and known for its Hakkaisan brand, has focused on overseas expansion since it began exporting to the United States in 1995. The value of its exports in 2025 rose about 10% from the previous year. A company representative said growth in South Korea stood out, helped by wider availability at retail stores.

A drag on growth

But further export growth could be hampered by the soaring price of sake rice. The 2025 crop of Yamada Nishiki, a leading sake rice grown in Hyogo Prefecture, is trading at roughly 20% above the previous year’s harvest, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.

At the same time, prices for “table rice,” or rice used as food, have climbed above those for sake rice, even as producers are believed to be increasingly shifting from sake rice to table rice. The 2025 crop of sake rice is thought to have been about 10% smaller than the previous year’s harvest, and some breweries are said to be curbing sake output because of difficulties in procuring ingredients.

“Demand in overseas markets is rising, but we might not be able to secure sufficient volumes for export,” one industry official said. With higher costs for materials and energy also squeezing profits, producers will have difficult decisions to make.