Japan: Beer shipments post 1st rise in 3 months

Five major Japanese brewers' shipments including low-malt beer and non-malt, beer-like drinks posted the first year-to-year rise in three months in November as relatively warm weather and new products stimulated demand, industry groups said December 12.

Their November shipments gained 1.8% from a year earlier to 39.74 million cases. One case contains 20 633-milliliter glass bottles.

14 December, 2006