Japan wine imports dip in volume but rise in value in 2025
While Japan imported slightly less wine in 2025, it also paid a bit more for it, due to a combination of market headwinds, and the growing popularity for high-quality bottles, customs data has revealed.
Japan imported 234.4 million litres of wine in 2025, a 2.29% decrease from 2024, according to newly released trade data, compiled by Vino Joy News. Despite the drop in volume, the total value of imports rose by 1.47% year-on-year to ¥252.6bn (£1.26bn).
However, the scale of change was relatively modest, with both movements remaining within three percentage points. Analysts claim that this suggests Japan’s wine market remains stable in both size and consumer demand, despite broader economic pressures.
Japan continues to be Asia’s largest wine import market, with a population of around 124 million. Both volume and value just outpace those of mainland China, which is the region’s second-largest importer.
The divergence between falling volumes and rising value is thought to be fuelled by both a long-standing preference among Japanese consumers for premium wines, and the prolonged weakening of the Japanese yen, which has boosted the cost of imported products.
Akiko Ohara, general manager of Messe Düsseldorf Japan and organiser of the ProWine Tokyo trade fair, said currency movements had played a significant role.
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“The recent trend of reduced import volume but increased import value is primarily due to the prolonged weakening of JPY,” she told Vino Joy News. “Still, the increase in value indicates that consumers are unwilling to compromise on wine quality despite rising prices.”
Sparkling wines still shine
Japan remains one of Asia’s strongest markets for fizz, particularly Champagne. This is reflected by data. In 2025, the country imported ¥105.6bn (£528m) worth of sparkling wine, approaching the ¥136.9bn (£684m) imported in bottled still wines.
French sparkling wines dominated the category, accounting for ¥89.1bn, or 65.1% of the market. The average import price reached ¥5,590 per litre (£27.95), underlining the continued popularity of Champagne among Japanese consumers.
France far ahead of rivals
France remained Japan’s largest wine supplier by value, with imports reaching ¥149.5bn (£748m). That figure placed it well ahead of Italy, the second-largest supplier, which exported ¥31.6bn ($211m) worth of wine to Japan.
France also led the premium segment of the market. The average import price of French wine stood at ¥2,887 per litre (£14.44)), the highest among the top ten supplying countries.
The United States ranked second with an average price of ¥1,470 per litre ($9.80), followed by New Zealand at ¥1,196 per litre (£5.99).
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