Japan: Malt imports remain relatively stable despite constant domestic beer shipments decline
Japans beer shipments in 2016 were 52.5 mln hl, down 2.4% from a year earlier, H. M. Gauger GmbH reported.
Pilsen-type beer lost 2%, happoshu 6.8%, the 3rd category 1.2%. It was the 12th year in a row that Japan sold less beer than before.
Malt imports have dropped from 763,000 tons in 1999 to 507,000 tons in 2016, but remained relatively stable over the past five years.