Japan

In 2023, soft drinks is set to record opposite performances in the on-trade channel and the off-trade channel. On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to Class 5, the level of common infectious diseases. This…

Off-trade volume sales of RTD tea are set to record a decline in 2023. While increased opportunities to go out with the containment of the pandemic should have contributed to growth, the impact of the price increases, which began in 2022, was fully…

Off-trade volume sales of RTD coffee are set to record a slight decline in 2023. While increased opportunities to leave the home due to the containment of the pandemic drove sales, the summer heat dragged down sales. In 2023, Japan experienced an…

Retail volume sales of other hot drinks are predicted to continue to decline in 2023. Sales recorded strong increases in 2020 and 2021, triggered by the prolonged time spent at home in response to the pandemic. During home seclusion, other hot drinks…

In 2023, total volume sales of juice are set to decrease compared with 2022. On-trade volume sales are expected to increase thanks to a continued rebound in demand as the legal status of COVID-19 was downgraded to Class 5 in May. However, off-trade…

In 2023, hot drinks is set to record opposite performances in the foodservice channel and the retail channel. On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to Class 5, the level of common infectious disease. This was…

Energy drinks is set to record falling off-trade volume sales in 2023, with price increases by leading manufacturers a major factor contributing to decline. In response to the rising costs of materials, packaging, and transportation, energy drinks…

In 2023, liquid concentrates is set to see a decrease in off-trade volume and current value sales. This is mainly due to the decreased amount of time consumers having been spending at home in this year. Liquid concentrates saw a strong rise in…

In 2023, sales of coffee in the foodservice channel are expected to record solid growth, thanks to the rebound of footfall in cafés and specialist coffee and tea shops. On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to…

In 2023, total volume sales of carbonates are set to decrease compared with 2022. On-trade volume sales are expected to increase thanks to a continued rebound in demand after the lifting of pandemic restrictions. However, off-trade volume sales are…

Bottled water is set to maintain off-trade volume and current value growth in 2023. In Japan, where tap water is drinkable, the culture of purchasing bottled water for home use was for a long time uncommon. However, the Great East Japan Earthquake of…

Store cards are often referred to as “Gaisho cards” in Japan. Gaisho is a department most often found in department stores, positioned somewhat like direct selling. Gaisho are elite staff members with high levels of skill and experience, and these…

In the review period, pre-paid cards showed progression to online (mobile, smart watch, etc...) payment, especially within transportation pre-paid cards such as Suica and PASMO cards. More people opted to use smartphone app versions of pre-paid cards…

Japan’s transition to a cashless society has been accelerating in 2023. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) developed the “Cashless Vision” in 2018, aiming to increase the cashless payment ratio to 40% by 2025. Due to COVID-19,…

In the past, debit cards were not prevalent in Japan, with alternative payment methods such as credit cards or cash dominating the market. Furthermore, Japanese banks typically issued “cash cards” to their customers, which were primarily intended for…

Credit card is the leading cashless payment method in Japan, and is still responsible for the predominant share of cashless payment transaction volumes and value. Other digital payment instruments are also gaining popularity, but credit cards remain…

Staple foods in Japan is set to grow in current value terms in 2023, largely driven by unit price increases due to inflation and increases in production costs. Although many manufacturers had already implemented price increases in 2022, the costs of…

Rice, pasta and noodles in Japan is set to see a positive retail current value performance in 2023, due to unit price increases led by inflation and rises in production costs. Although many manufacturers increased the prices of their products several…

Processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat is set to suffer a continued retail volume decline in 2023, although it is expected to maintain positive retail current value growth thanks to unit price increases, driven by inflationary pressures.…

Processed fruit and vegetables in Japan is set to see a notable decline in retail volume terms in 2023, while retail current value sales are set to maintain solid growth due to rising unit prices. The decline in volume terms is mainly due to a…