Japan Regains Top Spot in Imported Beer, Pushing Out 'Ojum Beer'... NO Japan Is Over

Japan has reclaimed the top spot for imported beer after five years. Meanwhile, the ranking of Chinese beer, which has recently been plagued by food quality controversies such as the "urine beer" incident, has fallen.

According to customs trade statistics on the 17th, Japan's beer import value last year surged 283.3% compared to the previous year, reaching $55.516 million (approximately 74.2 billion KRW), securing the number one position in imported beer. This is the first time in five years since 2018 that Japanese beer import value has topped the list.

Beer display at the mart [Photo by Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

Previously, Japanese beer suffered significant damage after July 2019, when the Japanese government imposed export restrictions on essential semiconductor materials to Korea, sparking a boycott movement. The import value dropped sharply from $78.3 million (approximately 104.6 billion KRW) in 2018 to $39.75 million (approximately 53.1 billion KRW) in 2019, and further plummeted to $5.668 million (approximately 7.5 billion KRW) in 2020. However, it slightly increased to $6.875 million (approximately 9.1 billion KRW) in 2021 and has continued to rise since then.

The ranking of beer import value also fell from first place in 2018 to second in 2019, and then to ninth place in both 2020 and 2021, but it succeeded in reclaiming the top spot within two years. Japanese beer brands such as Asahi and Sapporo, which had disappeared from convenience store shelves due to the boycott, are regaining their presence.

A man urinating on malt at Qingdao Brewery Plant 3
Photo by Hongseong Newspaper capture

원본보기 아이콘

On the other hand, Chinese beer, which recorded the highest import value in 2022, dropped two places in ranking within a year. Last year, the import value of Chinese beer was $30.163 million (approximately 40.3 billion KRW), a 17.2% decrease compared to the previous year.

Chinese beer has recently been troubled by quality controversies. In October last year, a video of a man urinating at a Chinese Qingdao beer factory spread online. Looking at monthly data, the import value of Chinese beer sharply declined to $585,000 (approximately 782.14 million KRW) in December last year, falling to seventh place in the rankings.

Meanwhile, the total beer import value last year was $218.216 million (approximately 291.7 billion KRW), and the export value was $76.59 million (approximately 102.4 billion KRW), resulting in a beer trade deficit of $141.626 million (approximately 189.3 billion KRW).

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.