Japan, Tokyo: Combined domestic shipments of beer and "happoshu" low-malt beer by Japan's five major brewers dropped 8.5% in September from a year earlier as consumers stayed away from restaurants due to powerful typhoons that hit the country, according to shipment figures released Wednesday, October 13. Beer and happoshu shipments by Kirin Brewery Co, Asahi Breweries Ltd, Sapporo Breweries Ltd, Suntory Ltd, and Orion Breweries Ltd totaled 38.92 million cases. One case holds 12.66 liters, or the equivalent of 20 633-milliliter bottles, according to Kyodo News and Japan Today.

Shipments of regular beer fell 6.6 percent to 23.32 million cases, and those of happoshu dropped 11.2 percent to 15.19 million cases, the first double-digit drop since April. The brewers said shipments of happoshu suffered setbacks as competition with cheap beer-like alcoholic beverages is intensifying in the market.

The brewers attributed the second straight monthly fall to fewer outings to restaurants and bars mainly due to unfavorable weather created by the typhoons in the reporting month.

15 October, 2004