Recently, Japan's three major beer companies - Kirin Brewery, Suntory Beer, and Sapporo Beer - announced their respective strategies for 2026. With the unification of tax policies for beer products (including beer, sparkling wine, and third-category beer) in Japan in October, the three major beer companies are focusing on strengthening their product lines and market appeal for narrow-sense beer (traditional cans of eoe beer), as this type of beer will enjoy tax relief. Kirin Brewery announced that it will upgrade its third-category beer "Hon Kirin" to beer, while Suntory Beer also announced that it will upgrade its third-category beer "Kinmai" to beer, which may intensify market competition.
From October this year, Kirin Brewery will increase the malt content of its "Hakkin" beer to over 50%. Despite the decreasing demand for third-tier beers among consumers due to the unified tax system, Kirin Brewery believes that there will still be a certain demand for third-tier beers, such as "economic" beers, which are priced lower than standard beers. According to the company's CEO, Hideki Horiguchi, Hakkin Beer will maintain its price range for economic beers and enhance its unique value.
Suntory is strengthening its marketing activities for its major brands. Premium Malt's, after about six years, has once again launched a points program, where customers can receive gifts based on the number of purchases. The company aims to sell 35 million cases (large bottles) of Jinmai Beer, which will be released in beer form from October. Eijiro Nishida, the CEO of the company, is confident, saying, "At this crucial moment of alcohol tax reform, we will vigorously develop the beer category."
Sapporo, meanwhile, is also using its strong beer business to expand its experience facilities, aiming to attract 2m new customers on top of last year’s figure. This autumn, new experience facilities for Sapporo Black Label draft beer, a favourite among young people, and its flagship Ebisu beer will open in Ginza, Tokyo. Black Label will open a second branch of its Ginza flagship beer bar in Osaka this summer and strengthen its experience activities nationwide. “This will be our biggest investment in recent years,” says Sapporo marketing chief Satoru Sakashita
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