Officials of whiskey maker Suntory Ltd. said the company plans to start selling the spirits in China as soon as possible.
Japan's largest whiskey maker will start selling first in Shanghai and nearby regions, the officials said, without mentioning specific dates.
Suntory's planned entry into the Chinese market comes at a time when whiskey shipments in Japan have slackened since reaching a peak in the first half of the 1980s.
Suntory apparently wants to take advantage of its brand recognition in Shanghai, where the company commands more than 40 percent of the beer market.
"It will likely take time for the habit of drinking whiskey to take a firm hold in China, but we want to market the product as soon as possible in order to cultivate a market," a Suntory official said.