Japan: Japanese beverage company, Kirin, has announced that a new brand of the low-malt beer happoshu will soon enter the Japanese market. The company said the brand would hit the shelves on 21 April. “An advertising campaign for the brand centers on Japan’s national soccer team during the qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The qualifying round begins in the autumn of this year. The design of the new cans features an illustration of the national team,” the company said.The drink will be priced at Y145 (US$1.36) per 350ml can, while the 500ml can will retail at Y201.

Kirin predicts a rise in sales of beer and happoshu in 2004 of 2.2% at 187.2m cases of beer. Figures released last month, however, showed that Japanese shipments of beer and happoshu by Japan's five top brewers fell by 11.4% in January, compared to the same period last year, to 24.23 million cases.

30 March, 2004