Japan’s sake exports have reached a record high, increasing by 19% last year to 23,481 kiloliters, according to a report by Japan News. The country’s sake exports have been rising since 2006. In 2016, the export volume surpassed the 20,000 kiloliter mark for the first time and has only continued to escalate.
The growth is inevitably linked to the increasing number of Japanese restaurants overseas which serve the rice wine. According to Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, the number of restaurants serving Japanese cuisine outside Japan grew from 89,000 in 2015 to 118,000 as of October 2017. The country’s top export market is the US, which accounted for 25% of the total, followed by South Korea, China and Taiwan.
Source: The Drinks Business, Feb 2018