NEWS
CHINA’S DEMAND FOR PREMIUM SAKE KEEPS GROWING OVERTOOK USA AS TOP VALUE MARKET
By Staff Reporter
19-5-2026
Credit: Frederick Shaw/Unsplash
China has emerged as Japan’s leading overseas market for sake, with official trade figures confirming robust double-digit growth through 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, fuelled by rising consumer appetite for high-end Japanese rice wine products across mainland China.
Data released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance showed that China has imported 1.634 million litres of Japanese sake in the first quarter of 2026, marking an 8 percent year-on-year increase. The market’s growth in value has outpaced volume expansion, climbing 11 percent annually to ¥3.594 billion (USD24.8 million).
Industry statistics from the Japan Sake and Shōchū Makers Association show Japanese sake exports to China reached ¥13.3 billion in 2025. The figure represents a 13.9 percent year-on-year rise and accounts for 29 percent of Japan’s total sake export value, officially overtaking the United States as the country’s top export destination by value.
By contrast, US-bound sake shipments declined 3.5 percent year-on-year to ¥11 billion, weighed down by ongoing tariff headwinds.
The value growth in the Chinese market has outpaced volume expansion, signalling a notable consumer shift toward premium-grade varieties, including junmai, ginjo and daiginjo sake, as Chinese buyers increasingly prioritize quality over entry-level offerings.
Premium sake has gained traction among affluent urban consumers in China’s first-tier cities, who regard refined Japanese rice wine as a sophisticated alternative to domestic baijiu and Western imported wine.
The product’s appeal has been further amplified by popular gifting culture for business and social occasions, which consistently drives strong sales of high-end lines.
Wider culinary integration has also underpinned market expansion. The rapid proliferation of izakaya-style dining venues, Japanese restaurants and cross-cultural fusion eateries nationwide has normalised sake pairing with classic dishes such as sushi and grilled seafood, cultivating stable consumer habits among Chinese diners.
Compounding this momentum, the 2024 UNESCO designation of traditional sake brewing as an intangible cultural heritage has lifted public awareness of sake’s cultural and artisanal value, strengthening its premium brand image in the Chinese market.
While the US retains its lead in sheer shipment volume at 7,720 kilolitres in 2025, China’s market delivers far higher commercial returns for Japanese producers.
The average unit price of sake sold in China stands at ¥1,368 per litre, nearly 1.8 times the average price in the US market, cementing China’s status as Japan’s most valuable overseas sake market.
Industry insiders remain bullish on long-term growth prospects in China. “China is not just a market—it’s a strategic pillar for our global expansion,” a spokesperson from a prominent Kyoto-based sake brewery stated. Producers plan to ramp up consumer education, localised brand marketing and customized product development to align with maturing Chinese consumer preferences.
As Japanese sake exports extend their global reach to a record 81 countries and regions in 2025, industry observers project China’s role as the top-value export market will continue to strengthen throughout 2026, backed by sustained premium consumption trends, deepening culinary integration and rising cultural appreciation for traditional Japanese sake craftsmanship.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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