Japanese beer imports reached an all-time high last year.

According to the 2026 Annual Report on Imported Food Inspection released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the volume of Japanese beer imported last year was 100,322 tons, a 22 percent increase from the previous year.

This marks the first time in history that annual imports of Japanese beer have exceeded 100,000 tons.

Imports of Japanese beer had been steadily increasing from 12,369 tons in 2011 to 86,566 tons in 2018.

However, in 2019, as the boycott of Japanese products spread across South Korea due to deteriorating bilateral relations, imports of Japanese beer dropped to 50,860 tons. In 2020 and 2021, when the impact of the "No Japan" movement persisted, imports fell to less than 10,000 tons each year.

Imports began to rise again in 2022, reaching 71,446 tons in 2023 and 82,229 tons in 2024.

Last year, Japanese beer also surpassed the European Union (EU) to rank first in import volume by region.

Total beer imports last year amounted to 240,442 tons, with Japanese beer accounting for a 41.7 percent market share.

Imports of EU beer, which neared 200,000 tons in 2019, have been on a downward trend, falling to 84,254 tons in 2024.

Last year, imports from the EU stood at only 63,161 tons.

It was found that the Japanese region from which South Korea imported the most beer last year was Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu.

Beer imports from this region totaled 53,596 tons, accounting for more than half of all imports from Japan.

Among other regions in Japan, beer imports from Oita Prefecture in Kyushu reached 18,504 tons, and imports from Aichi Prefecture in central Honshu also exceeded 10,000 tons, at 11,225 tons.

Fukuoka Prefecture, which is geographically close to South Korea, is home to beer factories for major companies such as Asahi and Kirin.

Oita Prefecture houses a Sapporo beer factory, while Aichi Prefecture is home to a Kirin beer factory.

(Photo: Yonhap News)