JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa

Public and private sectors push to revive Okinawa's struggling awamori industry

Gaku Sakumoto (right), who leads the Okinawa Awamori Distillers Association, Takeo Koizumi (center), professor emeritus of the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and Katsunobu Shingaki of the Awamori Meister Association speak about awamori at The Okinawa Times building on Sept. 19. | THE OKINAWA TIMES

The Okinawa Times

Oct 12, 2018

With young people apparently finding Okinawa's awamori liquor less appealing, the industry has been hit with a decline in shipments for 13 consecutive years.

To rev up the struggling business, people from the public and private sectors have joined hands to pitch the distilled spirit indigenous to the island prefecture to other Japanese and overseas consumers. The growing number of foreign tourists to Japan, including Okinawa, is also expected to give a boost to the flagging industry.

Awamori dates back around 600 years and mirrors the unique culture of Okinawa — formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom before it was annexed by Japan in 1879.

Public and private sectors push to revive Okinawa's struggling awamori industry

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