Taking advantage of the weak

During a press conference announcing the new export figures, Shuso Imada from the JSS Info Center also covered the impact of inbound tourism, fuelled at least in part by the weak yen–which is making it difficult for Japanese businesses to be active abroad.

The estimated 36.87 million visitors spent approximately JPY 8 trillion, so they provide an additional “foreign” market and ensuring they eat, drink, buy and experience Japanese food, drink and culture also encourages them to carry on buying Japanese products after they return home. 

Imada also pointed to recent initiatives to develop sake tourism, including partnerships with travel agencies and other industries to develop a wider range of tourist attractions in order to draw visitors into specific areas. 

Asked about the Japanese government export target of JPY 60 billion by 2025, JSS director Hitoshi Utsunomiya said it would be difficult to reach due to import restrictions in China, but expressed confidence that 2025 exports would be higher than in 2024 and that over time the export market–including consumption among inbound tourists–would reach JPY 80–100 billion.

Specialist inbound tourism site Honichi Labo added that tourism to Japan is likely to grow in 2025 due to the Osaka Expo and other international events and recovery in the Chinese economy, so this inbound tourist segment could become even more important.

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Source: インバウンド消費含む日本酒の輸出市場は1,000億円規模へ：2024年度日本酒輸出総額記者発表会 訪日ラボ 10 Feb 2025 (Japanese)