'Was there a NO Japan'.. Record High Imports of Japanese Beer

[Financial News] Japanese beer companies, whose market share plummeted due to the past 'No Japan' movement, are recently rapidly increasing their market share in the Korean market. Asahi Beer, which is the number one in domestic market share as well as in Japan, introduced a new campaign called 'Sumadori (Smart Drinking)' in line with the global trend of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages. On the other hand, Sapporo Beer, a latecomer, is adopting a contrasting strategy by applying the 'premium' strategy that succeeded in Japan to the Korean market.  
According to related industries on the 23rd, Asahi Beer and Sapporo Beer recently opened pop-up stores and premium draft beer permanent stores in Seongsu, Seoul, to target the Korean market.
On the 18th, at the 'Sumadori' pop-up store press conference held in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, Tetsuya Takahashi, CEO of Sumadori Co., Ltd., said, "A drinking culture where even those who do not drink are welcomed is the global trend of the future," and "I hope that through this Seoul pop-up, the young generations of Japan and Korea will contemplate 'a drinking culture that suits me' together."
Sumadori is an abbreviation for 'Smart Drinking', a campaign started by Asahi Beer in Japan in 2020. It is a movement that aims for a drinking party where both drinkers and non-drinkers can enjoy together.
An Asahi official said, "Since starting the Sumadori campaign in Japan in 2020, the awareness of Sumadori in Japan has increased to 50% by 2024," and "Recently, Korea is leading global trends, so if Sumadori takes root in Korea, it can be re-exported back to Japan, which is why we opened the Sumadori pop-up store in Korea."
The Sumadori store was first introduced in Shibuya, Japan, in 2022, and later opened in Nagoya. After the Korean pop-up store, pop-ups will also be held in Osaka and Fukuoka, Japan.
According to the industry, the market share of the Japanese beer market is Asahi (37~38%) at number one, followed by Kirin (32~35%), Suntory (15~16%), and Sapporo (11~12%). It is known that the ranking of Japanese beers in Korea is similar. 
Sapporo Beer, a latecomer, opened a permanent store called 'Sapporo Premium Beer Stand' in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, this month. It is a store that sells premium Sapporo draft beer at 9,000 won per glass, with a limit of 3 glasses per person. Depending on the method of pouring Sapporo premium draft beer, it is offered in two ways: 'Perfect Pour' and 'Classic Pour'. There are no seats in the store, so it is a standing store where you can enjoy simple snacks as well. It is a store transplanted in a Korean style from 'Sapporo The Bar', which opened in Ginza, Japan, in 2019.
Jung Beomsik, CEO of M's Beverage, the importer of Sapporo Beer, said, "During the No Japan movement, Japanese beer consumption plummeted, but as the number of tourists visiting Japan increased recently, Japanese beer sales grew by about 30-40% last year."
Meanwhile, according to the Korea Customs Service's import and export trade statistics, the import volume of Japanese beer in the first half of this year (January to June) reached a record high of 43,676 tons. This is an increase of 10.2% compared to the same period last year and is more than the previous record high of 42,962 tons in the first half of 2018. Due to the 'No Japan' movement triggered by the Japanese government's export restrictions to Korea in 2019, the import volume of Japanese beer had decreased to 6,490 tons in 2020.
hwlee@fnnews.com Lee Hwanju Reporter