Last month, leading brewer Asahi Breweries Ltd. began shipping its Super Dry beer to Singapore from Japan, instead of from its facilities in China.
The move is designed to improve cost competitiveness by taking advantage of the anticipated abolition of import tariffs on beer between Japan and Singapore under a bilateral free-trade agreement scheduled to take effect as early as this summer.
"By directly shipping our products from Japan, we gain cost competitiveness by the margin of the tariff," Asahi Breweries spokesman Yasuhiro Nakahara said.