The country’s saké exports have been increasing since 2006, and surpassed 20 million litres for the first time in 2016.
This increase is largely due to the increasing popularity of Japanese food outside the country. According to Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, the number of restaurants outside Japan serving Japanese cuisine grew from 89,000 in 2015 to 118,000 at the end of 2017.
Japan’s top export markets for saké are firstly the US, which takes 25% of the exports, followed by South Korea, China, and Taiwan.
In the meantime, domestic consumption is down. According to a study by IWSR/Vinexpo, total spirits consumption in Japan is forecast to decline by 1.4% by 2021.