Japan’s alcohol producers put on united front at the Kokushu Fair 2025
For the first time, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association presented sake, honkaku shochu, awamori and other koji-based alcohols at a single two-day event: the Kokushu Fair.
Having run the Sake Fair for 16 editions and the Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Fair since 2022, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association combined the two this year. The Kokushu Fair 2025 took place in Osaka on 14 and 15 June this year.
The trade organisation encouraged a broad remit this year. Kokushu refers to the core categories of sake, honkaku shochu (that which uses a pot still) and awamori, but also other traditional Japanese alcoholic beverages made using koji mold.
By grouping the categories, the JSS highlighted the very current interest in them. Less than 12 months ago, ‘traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan’ joined the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
The two-day fair took place in Osaka, coinciding with World Expo 2025 in the city. Domestic and international visitors could sample a huge range of products, 1,149 sakes were on show, representing 339 breweries and 45 prefectures. The 302 honkaku shochus and awamoris came from 65 companies across 12 prefectures.
Excitement around Japanese alcohol
The Kokushu Fair, in both its wide range of products and its international positioning, demonstrates the enthusiasm that these products are generating. The JSS is seeing Japanese traditional alcohol move beyond the domestic market and Japanese diaspora.
According to Naotaka Miyasaka, Overseas Sake Promotion Committee chair for the JSS, one reason for this is the JSS’s partnerships with international organisations. It has, in recent years, joined forces with the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale and the Union de la Sommellerie Française to promote sake around the world.
“There are tens of thousands of sommeliers globally, and their influence is enormous,” he says. “Continuing to strengthen this initiative is essential to further expanding sake exports,”
He also highlights how sake brewers are expanding their repertoire beyond traditional methods. With more choice than ever in production, sake makers are experimenting with their polishing regimens, rice varieties and yeast strains to develop new styles. According to Miysaka: “Sake is becoming more diverse. Its future looks very bright.”
Likewise, honkaku shochu is going beyond its traditional reputation. Historically, the spirits were drunk with meals in the southern Kyushu and Okinawa islands and were diluted to serve as an alternative to sake. However, honkaku shochu is now used by bartenders all around the world, served neat, on the rocks or in cocktails.
This new appreciation was referenced in the Kokushu Fair, with booths for honkaku shochu and awamori presented as bars. The fair also presented award-winning cocktails alongside six easy-to-mix options, providing visitors with easy ways to start using the spirits in their work.
“Honkaku shochu can be made from a wide variety of ingredients such as sweet potatoes, barley, rice, or even buckwheat,” explains Kohsuke Kami, who sits on the JSS’s Shochu Promotion Committee. “Moreover, differences in koji (typically using white or black koji, distinct from the yellow koji used in sake), distillation methods, and ageing vessels (tanks, earthenware jars, oak barrels) drastically affect the flavour. This diversity is now drawing significant interest from overseas bartenders.”
International success and domestic challenges
This new, outward-looking showcase is particularly important as Japan’s alcohol industry faces both opportunities and new challenges.
Sake exports are a notable success story. In 2024, the national drink of Japan reached a record high of 80 export markets. Export sales totalled ¥43.5 billion, which was an increase of 6% on 2023.
Issues with raw materials, however, mean the industry is challenging. Since 2024, rice prices in Japan have risen sharply, as supply has struggled to keep up with demand. Historically, sake rice has sold at higher prices due to its lower yields and labour-intensive production. However, as table rice has become more valuable, farmers are switching production and abandoning sake rice.
Producers of imo shochu, meanwhile, are facing their own problems. The spirit is made with sweet potatoes, and foot rot, a disease of the roots, was found in Japan in 2018. Producers have fought hard to beat the disease, forcing some to scale back production. Both sets of farmers, according to the JSS, deserve better support.
“We are urging the government to implement emergency measures to stabilise prices and ensure long-term supply,” says Miyasaka. “The average age of rice farmers is now around 69, and many have no successors – largely due to lack of profitability. Unless we create a system where farming is profitable enough to attract successors, both rice cultivation and sake-making in Japan will collapse. This is an urgent issue.”
With these domestic pressures, it is little surprise that the JSS is looking outwards. Export markets are a true bright spot for Japan’s traditional drinks, offering growth potential even when production is challenging. Moreover, the success of the first Kokushu Fair makes the case clear to the country’s decision makers: why would you abandon an industry generating this much excitement?
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