Asahi Breweries will not launch any new chūhai products with alcohol content of 8% or higher, amid a shift to low-alcohol alternatives in Japan.
The canned fizzy cocktails made from shōchū or vodka — most commonly associated with Suntory Holding’s Strong Zero brand — were pushed by drinks companies amid a long-term decline in beer sales, becoming fodder for social media memes in the process. But for the strongest variations at least, its days might be numbered.
Asahi’s move, reported late last month but decided on in the fall, is in order to “reduce inappropriate drinking” and follows an evaluation of the company's product line, a spokesperson for the company said, noting that there is a push to bolster its low-alcohol offerings.
“Asahi Breweries ... is working toward achieving its aim of increasing the sales volume of their main products with an alcohol content of 3.5% or less to 20% by 2025,” the spokesperson said.
The brand still lists a selection of chūhai products with varying alcohol quantities on its website, including the 9% Clear Cooler Strong produced in conjunction with Seven & I Holdings.
Sapporo Breweries has reportedly followed suit and will not launch any more canned chūhai products with 8% or higher alcohol content.
Such moves come as Japan’s beverage behemoths ramp up low- and no-alcohol offerings to tap into a more sober consumer base and shake up their domestic strategy amid a shrinking market.
Despite Japan’s long and deeply ingrained drinking culture — entwined with company and post-work gatherings — the number of alcohol drinkers is falling in line with the decreasing population.
As a result, alcohol sales have declined overall, with this trend being particularly marked when it comes to beer. But chūhai and ready to drink (RTD) offerings, which are often lighter, cheaper and available in an array of various flavors, have steadily risen in popularity.
Such drinks also come with a range of alcohol volume, so for beverage companies, broadening their chūhai offerings has been a way to expand market reach.
Lucia Vancura, director of global markets at Meros Consulting, said Japan’s beverage companies are pushing the message that there is something for everyone as they seek to make inroads into the large and “almost untapped” market of nonregular drinkers in Japan.
While in the past drinking was a key component of socializing with friends, now there are greater entertainment options for consumers, from streaming services to video games, Vancura said, noting that as a result drinking does not have the same social primacy as it used to, and as a result there have been changes in what people are drinking.
Global awareness of the negative impacts and health consequences associated with drinking is on the rise, and there is also a generational shift at play — Gen Z are drinking less than previous generations, while millennials are also adopting “sober curious” lifestyles, increasing demand for alcohol-free “mocktails” and low-alcohol options.
According to drinks analysis firm IWSR, Japan had the highest level of abstention among Gen Z consumers, with 63% saying they had not consumed any alcohol over the past six months, followed by the United States at 54%.
Joining the global rise in slickly branded alternatives that make nonalcoholic drinking more appealing are beverages such as the alcohol-free gins Yaso and Nema, with these helping to shift the way consumers perceive alternatives to regular alcoholic drinks.
The Asahi Breweries spokesperson called the emergence of low- and nonalcohol products “a significant trend,” noting that it will expand its offerings in this space, while Okinawa-headquartered Orion also plans to grow such offerings.
A spokesperson for Kirin said that the nonalcoholic beer market was also expanding.
“An increasing number of customers are enjoying nonalcoholic beer for reasons other than simply replacing beer, such as ‘for health’ or ‘to refresh oneself,’” the Kirin spokesperson said.
IWSR research found Japan has one of the highest low-alcohol market growth rates, but the segment is still in a small and early stage. Euromonitor data, meanwhile, ranked Japan as the largest nonalcoholic beverage market in the Asia-Pacific region.
Still, the RTD segment continues to be a major force, following on from major growth throughout the 2010s: alcoholic RTDs are projected to grow in Japan, with retail sales reaching $6.6 billion in 2026, according to Satisia. And Suntory’s Kodawari Sakaba no Lemon Sour brand — some of which is as strong as 9% — grew 151% in 2020, according to the company.
The government is also emphasizing the negative health implications of drinking too much — and scrutinizing the moves of beverage companies.
The health ministry has in recent years become increasingly vocal about the health hazards of excessive drinking, saying it could not only raise the long-term risk of lifestyle diseases such as liver damage, strokes and cancer, but also lead to higher chances of drunken driving, violence, domestic abuse and even suicide.
The popularity of “strong-kei” products — referring to a group of cheap, canned, spirits-based drinks with high alcohol content, including the Strong Zero line, which contains 9% alcohol — has particularly alarmed health experts.
Dr. Toshihiko Matsumoto, who treats many adolescents with drug and substance abuse issues at the National Institute of Mental Health, has called these often sweet-tasting beverages “monster drinks.”
In his posts on social media, Matsumoto has advocated for a crackdown on Strong Zero, even likening it to the so-called kiken drugs, quasi-legal products that contain slightly chemically altered versions of stimulants. These drugs, often sold as “herbs” or “bath salts,” can be more harmful than the banned substances they imitate, authorities warn.
In national drinking guidelines to be released as early as this spring, the ministry is expected to urge the public to reduce their alcohol intake and keep it under 40 grams for men and 20 grams for women per day.
Leaflets to be distributed will likely include references to the safety limit of daily alcohol consumption. For example, 20 grams is equivalent to a 500 milliliter can of beer, 350 ml of chūhai, 200 ml or two glasses of wine, or 180 ml of sake.
While officials have called for more responsible drinking, at times there has been contradictory messaging — the decline of alcohol, which accounts for 1.6% of overall tax revenue, saw the National Tax Agency launch a much derided campaign in 2022 to encourage people to drink more during the pandemic, as bars were struggling, prompting a swift backlash.
As the fragmentation of Japan’s drinks market continues, businesses can no longer afford a one-size-fits-all approach.
“Japan's consumer base is shrinking, it's aging and shrinking,” Vancura said, noting that companies cannot do what they’ve been doing for the last 50 years. “(They) have got to find new consumers.”
While in the past groups of customers may have ordered beer, Vancura said, now people have greater choice when it comes to consuming alcohol or nonalcoholic alternatives, and as a result drinking culture is shifting.
“The message is there is something for everybody. Whatever amount of alcohol you feel like drinking ... people want to join the party,” she said.
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