The biggest dealmaker in Japan this year has one thing on his mind: beer, and then more beer — more than $20 billion worth of it in the past four years, to be precise.

Never mind that people around the globe are drinking less, with consumption expected to show little to no growth in the coming years, or that other brewers are trying to diversify out of the market. Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Akiyoshi Koji is doubling down on beer as a survival strategy.

"We are expanding with the goal of being No. 1 for the premium beer segment in every geographic area we're doing business," said Koji, 67, in an interview. "The world is our market."