date:Jul 04, 2014
y halved, showed data from Suntory.
Sales of beer have slimmed as once-universal drinking binges among office workers go out of fashion and Japan's increasingly health-conscious youth develop a taste for drinks containing fewer calories.
Brewers have tried to stem the decline by lowering prices. By reducing the malt content, brewers created beer-like drinks which could be priced less because they qualified for lower tax rates.
In Japan, beer is taxed based on malt content. The lowest-taxed be