Microbrewery number in Japan 2014-2023
The number of microbreweries in Japan amounted to 805 businesses at the end of 2023, representing an increase from just over 200 businesses operating in 2014. As the Japanese beer market is dominated by the leading enterprises Asahi, Suntory, Sapporo, and Kirin, microbreweries entering the market are typically producing beer-like beverages as a side business.
Small-scale production
After relaxations of requirements to acquire a liquor license in Japan, small-scale breweries started the production of microbrews. Despite the overwhelming popularity of low-cost alternatives on the market, such as low-malt beer (happoshu) and ‘new genre beer’, the domestic production of craft beer showed a steady increase recently. As only a few microbreweries can afford the export of small quantities of beer-like beverages, the target groups are mainly domestic consumers, who are slowly discovering the variety in flavor profiles of microbrews.
Craft beer in the beer market
Compared to the annual beer production volume of major breweries, which exceeds several billion kiloliters, the beer-like beverages of microbreweries barely make up one percent of the domestic beer market. While beer and beer-like beverages remain the preferred alcoholic drink of consumers, the higher retail prices of craft beverages discourage frequent consumption.