SAKAIMINATO, Tottori -- The government will strengthen its support for the expansion of sake exports, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday during his visit to a sake brewery in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, that is committed to exporting its products.
Specifically, Suga said the government would support development of new products targeting overseas consumers; invite foreign buyers to Japan; and make use of the Geographical Indication system that regulates the intellectual property rights of agricultural products.
"Sake has great potential as an agricultural export, and it's necessary to promote high-value-added products, set prices accordingly and have a brand strategy," Suga told reporters.
Although Suga doesn't drink alcohol, he sipped a bit on that day.
In 2018, Japan exported about 22.2 billion yen of sake, up 19 percent from the previous year, enjoying a ninth straight year of increase. It exports the most to the United States followed by Hong Kong, China and South Korea.
The government aims to increase exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products and food to 1 trillion yen by 2019, and hopes to make sake, which is popular abroad, one of the major items to sell overseas.
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