Asahi Breweries Ltd is top Japanese brewer again in 2002 on domestic beer market for the second year in a row in 2002, but number-two Kirin Brewery Co Ltd narrowed the gap thanks to the popularity of some innovative low-malt brews.

Asahi, the maker of Japan's top-selling "Super Dry" beer, accounted for 38.4 percent of the industry's shipments of beer and low-malt "happoshu", down slightly from 38.7 percent in 2001, data from Japan's five main brewers showed on Thursday.

Happoshu is a cheap beer-substitute that is taxed at a lower rate due to its low-malt content.

The popularity of the alcoholic drink has eaten into beer sales but has helped the brewers weather an otherwise saturated and slumping domestic beer market.

Combined shipments of beer and happoshu fell 2.6 percent year-on-year in 2002 to 6.93 million kilolitres (kl), compared with a rise of 0.3 percent in 2001.

"The slumping economy and the impact of happoshu and canned chu-hai (a fruit-flavoured cocktail made from soda water) ensured there was no change in the downtrend for beer in 2002," the Brewers Association of Japan said in a news release.

Asahi ended Kirin's 48-year reign as the industry leader in 2001 by introducing its first happoshu brand, but Kirin struck back in 2002 with a line-up of hit low-malt brews that included a light beer and a discount brand.

Shipments of normal beer fell sharply in 2002, down 10.9 percent at 4.35 million kl.

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