Japanese sake exports reached a record ¥45.9 billion in 2025, up 5.5 percent year-on-year to 81 countries. This data report compiles the official figures from Japan's National Tax Agency, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, and trade statistics — and explains what they actually say about Southeast Asia.
Why this report exists
For anyone running an import operation, a restaurant group, or a private buying desk in Southeast Asia — or for anyone at a Japanese brewery or distillery considering a Southeast Asian market entry — the number-one problem is not a lack of data. It is that the data is scattered across Japanese-language press releases, ministry PDFs, industry association announcements, and occasional English-language summaries that all report slightly different slices of the picture.
This report compiles what the primary sources actually say for calendar years 2020 through 2025, with a particular focus on the Southeast Asian market context. We cite every number. We do not forecast 2026 or beyond, because the official data for 2026 is not yet complete at the time of writing.
The headline numbers
Total Japanese alcoholic beverage exports
According to data reported by Nippon.com summarizing Japan's trade statistics, total Japanese alcoholic beverage exports reached approximately ¥134.4 billion in 2023, a decline of 3.4 percent from the previous year. This was, notably, the first annual decline after more than a decade of consecutive record-high export years. By way of longer context, 2023 exports were approximately double the 2018 value.
The 2023 breakdown by category, per Nippon.com, was roughly:
- Whisky: 37 percent of total export value (down more than 10 percent year-on-year)
- Sake (nihonshu): 30 percent of total (down more than 10 percent year-on-year)
- Beer: 13 percent of total, approximately ¥17.9 billion (up a striking 66.6 percent year-on-year)
- Liqueur: 9 percent of total
- Gin and vodka: 3 percent of total
The two largest categories — whisky and sake — both declined in 2023 after years of growth. Beer, by contrast, grew sharply off a smaller base.
Sake, 2024 and 2025
The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (日本酒造組合中央会) reported in February 2025 that Japanese sake exports in 2024 reached ¥43.47 billion, up 5.8 percent year-on-year, across a volume of 31,000 kiloliters shipped to a record 80 countries. This marked a recovery from the 2023 softness.
Nippon.com, summarizing 2025 data, subsequently reported that sake exports rose further to ¥45.9 billion in 2025, up 5.5 percent year-on-year, with volume reaching 33,500 kiloliters (up 8.0 percent) across a new record of 81 destination countries.
| Year | Export value (JPY) | YoY | Volume (kL) | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ~¥40.3 billion (est. from share) | — | — | — |
| 2024 | ¥43.47 billion | +5.8% | 31,000 | 80 |
| 2025 | ¥45.9 billion | +5.5% | 33,500 | 81 |
Sources: Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (2024 press release); Nippon.com (2025 report summarizing industry data).
Japanese whisky, the other side of the story
Japanese whisky exports in 2024 declined to approximately ¥43.65 billion, representing 34.6 percent of total Japanese alcoholic beverage exports that year. This was a drop of roughly 12.8 percent from 2023, itself already a down year. Drops were particularly sharp in China, Hong Kong, and the United States.
The whisky slowdown is the single most important counter-narrative in the 2024–2025 Japanese alcohol export picture. After a multi-year boom driven by global scarcity and high prices for Suntory, Nikka, and craft distillery releases, the category cooled. The slowdown reflects a combination of market saturation at the premium end, intensified competition from Scotch and American whiskey, and — for some labels — actual supply shortages that have limited availability.
Destination country breakdown
2024 top markets (sake)
Per data from the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association covering calendar year 2024:
| Rank | Country | 2024 value | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | ¥11.68 billion | −6.3% |
| 2 | United States | ¥11.44 billion | +25.9% |
| 3 | Hong Kong | ¥5.12 billion | −15.1% |
| 4 | South Korea | ¥3.75 billion | +29.1% (record) |
| — | EU incl. UK | ¥2.72 billion | +16.2% (record) |
The top three markets — China, the United States, and Hong Kong — together accounted for approximately 65 percent of total sake export value in 2024.
2025 shifts
In 2025, as reported by Nippon.com:
- China rebounded to ¥13.3 billion in value (up 13.9 percent), reclaiming its position as the largest sake export destination by value. Notably, China's average export unit price declined from ¥2,193 per liter to ¥1,998 per liter, suggesting broader market availability rather than a purely premium positioning.
- The United States slipped slightly to ¥11.0 billion (down 3.5 percent) but remained the second-largest market by value, and actually the largest by volume at 7,720 kiloliters.
- Hong Kong remained in third place (specific 2025 value not explicitly reported in the sources reviewed).
- South Korea reached new record levels for the second consecutive year.
- Canada and France also reached record highs.
Southeast Asia: what the numbers say
For Southeast Asia specifically, the picture is more fragmentary in English-language sources. Three things are clear from the primary data:
1. Singapore is a premium market, not a volume market
Singapore has consistently maintained average export unit prices above ¥2,000 per liter for Japanese sake, per reporting in Nippon.com and Japanese-language summaries of Ministry of Finance trade statistics. This is well above the global average of ¥1,368 per liter in 2025. Singapore imports premium sake — primarily ginjo, daiginjo, and single-brewery expressions — rather than entry-level mass-market product.
2. Hong Kong remains the regional premium hub
Although Hong Kong is not technically part of Southeast Asia, it functions as the Asian regional premium alcohol import hub serving much of the Southeast Asian HNWI and restaurant trade. Hong Kong ranked third globally for Japanese sake in 2024 at ¥5.12 billion, despite a 15.1 percent year-on-year decline. Hong Kong, like Singapore, maintains average unit prices above ¥2,000 per liter.
3. South Korea is the breakout story
South Korea is often not considered "Southeast Asia" strictly, but for trade-flow purposes it is often grouped with the broader East/Southeast Asian region. It was the breakout sake market of 2024, up 29.1 percent to ¥3.75 billion in value (a record) on volume of 4,895 kiloliters (up 16.8 percent, also a record). Momentum continued into 2025. Thailand and Malaysia were also mentioned as performing well in industry commentary, though specific country-level sake values for these markets are not consistently reported in the English-language sources we reviewed.
What we do not have
The English-language sources available to us do not consistently report country-level 2024–2025 sake export values for Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, or Malaysia individually. For that granularity, the primary reference is the Japanese National Tax Agency's annual export statistics (国税庁 酒類の輸出動向, linked in the sources block), which publishes country-by-country data in Japanese. For decision-grade Southeast Asia market analysis, direct consultation of that source — or commissioned research — is recommended.
The premiumization story
The single most important structural trend in Japanese sake exports over the past decade is not volume growth. It is price growth.
Per data reported in Nippon.com, the average export unit price for Japanese sake has risen from ¥705 per liter in 2014 to ¥1,368 per liter in 2025. That is roughly a 1.9x increase over ten years — close to a doubling.
This matters for two reasons:
First, it tells you what the overseas market has actually been buying. It has not been buying more cheap sake; it has been buying better sake. The category growth has come from premium ginjo, daiginjo, and single-brewery expressions, not from economy-grade bulk sake.
Second, it defines the opportunity for Southeast Asian importers and restaurants. The premium unit prices that Singapore and Hong Kong have been willing to pay — above ¥2,000 per liter — suggest that the ceiling has not yet been reached in these markets. Restaurants, private clubs, and specialty importers in the region are paying for quality, and the data says they have been paying more each year.
The whisky counter-story
Japanese whisky is the inverse case. After a multi-year boom, exports declined 12.8 percent in 2024, with particular softness in China, Hong Kong, and the United States.
This does not mean Japanese whisky is in trouble. Suntory, Nikka, and a growing cohort of craft distilleries — Chichibu, Mars Shinshu, Akkeshi, and others — continue to produce premium expressions that command strong prices and waiting lists at the ultra-premium end. What the data suggests instead is that the mass-premium tier that fueled the previous boom has saturated.
For importers, the implication is that Japanese whisky should no longer be approached as a guaranteed growth category. Volume expectations should be recalibrated. Specific label availability (rather than category assumptions) should drive distribution decisions.
Shochu: the category that is not (yet) exporting
Shochu remains the largest Japanese distilled spirit by domestic production but is barely an export category. Of approximately 355,370 kiloliters of shochu produced in Japan in 2024, only around 1,513 kiloliters were exported — less than half of one percent. JETRO, Japan's external trade organization, has made honkaku (authentic) shochu a focus category for overseas promotion, but the international market remains early.
For Southeast Asian importers and restaurateurs, this is worth knowing for two reasons. First, the category is unconstrained by scarcity in a way that Japanese whisky no longer is. Second, the opportunity to build category awareness from a low base — particularly for imo (sweet potato) and mugi (barley) honkaku shochu — is genuinely large for anyone willing to invest in education.
What the 2026 picture looks like so far
We will not forecast 2026 values. The official data is not yet complete at the time of writing, and projecting from partial data is the kind of speculation this publication does not do.
What we can say is what the known inputs are:
- Sake exports finished 2025 at a new record, with momentum in China, Europe, and Canada.
- Japanese whisky continues to adjust to post-boom demand conditions.
- Shochu remains a promotional frontier.
- Southeast Asian premium-tier markets (Singapore, Hong Kong) continue to pay above-average unit prices, suggesting continued headroom for premium positioning.
For readers who need a current 2026 read, the best practice is to consult Japan's National Tax Agency quarterly updates directly, or commission primary research against the Ministry of Finance trade statistics.
Implications for importers, buyers, and brands
Drawing only from what the data says, not what we wish it said:
Sake, especially premium categories, is the growing opportunity in Southeast Asia. Unit price trends and the South Korean breakout suggest the region's appetite for quality Japanese sake is real and expanding.
Japanese whisky requires recalibrated expectations. The easy-growth era has ended. Distribution planning should focus on specific labels rather than category-wide assumptions.
Shochu is an open category for anyone willing to invest in education. Total export volumes are small, competition for mindshare is minimal, and the regulatory and promotional support from JETRO is in place.
Premium positioning is a defensible moat. Singapore and Hong Kong's willingness to pay ¥2,000+ per liter suggests that the premium tier will continue to reward producers and importers who invest in quality and story, rather than those who compete on price.
Direct data access is a competitive advantage. Most English-language commentary on this market lags the primary sources by months. Operators who read the National Tax Agency data directly (or commission research that does) have a meaningful timing advantage over those who wait for summary reporting.
Methodological note
All figures in this report are drawn from official sources — Japan's National Tax Agency, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics — or from Nippon.com and Business Wire summaries citing those primary sources. Where figures are estimates (marked as such), we have noted the basis. Where we do not have country-level detail for Southeast Asian markets, we have said so explicitly rather than inferring.
No figure in this report is speculation, forecast, or extrapolation. Every number traces to a citable source listed in the Sources section below.
This report is published by ScaNavi Editorial, an editorial reference for Japanese premium alcohol in overseas markets. ScaNavi is produced by Synapse Arrows, a Singapore-based research and advisory firm. For commissioned market intelligence, bespoke data analysis, or Southeast Asia launch strategy for Japanese producers, see our For Business page.