Japan: The largest Japanese beer-maker, Asahi Breweries Ltd, which controls 41.7% of the market, has recently announced its beer and happoshu sales for December and full year January-December 2004. Beer sales in 2004 increased 0.3% up to 19.07 million hl or 150,593,000 cases, versus 19.01 million hl in 2003. Happoshu (low- malt beer) sales decreased 0.4% in January-December 2004 down to 6.88 million hl against 6.90 million hl in 2003. The best-sold beer brand was Super Dry with 14.75 million cases during January-December 2004, 0.6% increase year-on-year. The second one in Honnama with 2.98 million cases in 2004, 20.7% decrease year-on-year.

In December 2004 Asahi Breweries beer sales increased 8.1% up to 2.35 million hl compared to 2.17 million hl in December 2003. The brewery sold 0.63 million hl of happoshu during December 2004, down 4.3% versus December 2003, when it sold 0.66 million hl.

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