Shipments of "happoshu" for general household consumption are expected to surpass those of beer in 2003 for the first time since the low-malt beverage was launched in 1994, industry data showed Wednesday.
Happoshu shipments of this kind by the nation's five top brewers -- Kirin Brewery Co., Asahi Breweries Ltd., Sapporo Holdings Ltd., Suntory Ltd. and Orion Breweries Ltd. -- during the January-November period came to 176.93 million cases.
Some 156.57 million cases of beer were shipped during the same period.
One case holds 12.66 liters of happoshu or beer.
Beer shipments for general consumption could pick up toward the year's end in light of the gift-giving season, though a reversal in the annual shipment volume is "deemed impossible," according to an executive at a major beer firm.
In November alone, shipments of happoshu stood at 14.78 million cases, up 5 percent from a year earlier and marking a first rise in two months.
Beer shipments fell 8.8 percent to 24.47 million cases, marking a 44th straight monthly decline.
The annual shipment volume of happoshu is expected to fall on a year-on-year basis for the first time in 2003, following a May 1 tax hike and the unusually cool summer.
But happoshu's decline will be less severe than that of beer, industry officials said.
Since its debut in 1994, happoshu's low prices and wide product lineup has attracted a wealth of consumers.
Although the product has twice been hit by tax hikes, its popularity has endured amid manufacturers' efforts to expand product lineups to include items that appeal to health-conscious consumers, such as low-sugar happoshu and products enriched with dietary fiber, the officials said.
"Happoshu has lost its initial image of an alcoholic drink for (consumers in the) lower-income bracket," an industry official said.