Shipments of beer, "happoshu" low-malt beer and nonmalt, beerlike drinks by the nation's top five brewers edged up in August as hot summer weather ended two months of decline, industry figures showed Tuesday.

The combined shipments rose 0.6 percent from a year earlier to 49.16 million cases, after rainy weather in July knocked them to their lowest since 1992, according to the Brewers Association of Japan and the brewers -- Kirin Brewery Co., Asahi Breweries Ltd., Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Suntory Ltd. and Orion Breweries Ltd.