Despite renewed tensions in China-Japan relations over the past six months, Chinese consumers’ appetite for Japanese sake has shown little sign of cooling.
In the first quarter of 2026, mainland China remained Japan’s largest export market for sake by value, with both export volume and export value continuing to grow.
According to export data released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance of Japan and compiled by Vino Joy News, Japan exported 8,165,753 litres of sake globally during the first quarter of 2026, with export value reaching 11.61 billion yen.
That represented year-on-year growth of 4.86% in volume and 7.32% in value.
By market, mainland China ranked as Japan’s largest sake export destination by value.During the first quarter, Japan exported 1,634,004 litres of sake to mainland China, worth 3.59 billion yen. Export volume and value rose 8.2% and 10.85% respectively compared with the same period last year.
In recent years, Japanese sake brands such as Dassai have become deeply tied to China’s booming Japanese dining scene.
For many young Chinese consumers drawn to Japanese culture, sake has increasingly become a standard accompaniment to Japanese cuisine, while most Japanese restaurants in China now routinely offer sake selections.
Data from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries showed that China had around 63,000 Japanese restaurants as of 2025. Although the number fell roughly 20% year-on-year, China still remained the largest overseas market for Japanese restaurants, ahead of the United States, South Korea and Mexico.
That vast restaurant network continues to provide Japanese sake producers with a broad and stable consumption base.
China Pays More Per Bottle Than the U.S.
By export volume, however, the United States remained Japan’s largest sake export market.
In the first quarter of 2026, Japan exported 1,812,701 litres of sake to the U.S., down 3.22% year-on-year, while export value fell 6.24% to 2.47 billion yen.
Notably, mainland China’s average import price for sake was significantly higher than that of the U.S. market.
Data showed the average export price of Japanese sake to mainland China reached 2,199.71 yen (US$13.8) per litre, compared with just 1,360.15 yen (US$8.5) per litre in the United States.
Among Japan’s top 10 export destinations, mainland China ranked third in average export price, behind only Hong Kong and Singapore.
Traditionally brewed from rice, sake has steadily expanded into overseas markets alongside the global growth of Japanese cuisine and culture.
However, the data suggests East Asia remains the core consumption region for Japanese sake.
Among Japan’s five largest export markets, four were located in East Asia, mainland China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan with only the United States outside the region.
Still, several of those Asian markets recorded slight declines in either export volume or value during the first quarter.
By contrast, Western markets showed stronger growth momentum.
Canada stood out in particular, with sake export volume surging 112.11% year-on-year and export value climbing 52.22%, making it the fastest-growing market among Japan’s top 10 export destinations.
Export value to both the United Kingdom and France also posted double-digit growth, while Australia recorded moderate increases in both export volume and value.
The broader trend suggests Japanese sake’s global expansion is gradually moving beyond its traditional role as an accompaniment to Japanese cuisine in Asia.
While East Asia continues to provide stable demand, growing interest in premium Japanese dining, Japanese culture and lower-alcohol beverages across Europe and North America is opening new avenues for growth.
As Japan’s most important overseas market by value, China is increasingly becoming one of the key battlegrounds that could determine the future global success of Japanese sake.
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