Fukushima's Homare Shuzo Aims for 20% Export Share as the Yen Strengthens
As the yen climbs sharply, Homare Shuzo in Kitakata, Fukushima, plans to strengthen a brand that holds up against currency swings and lift exports from 15% to 20% of sales.
In September 2026, the yen suddenly strengthened after a long period of weakness. On 8 September it briefly touched the upper-152 range per US dollar. For Japanese sake breweries, the weak yen had been a tailwind, helping them stay price-competitive overseas. Now that the currency has moved the other way, how are producers preparing? Let us look at the example of a brewery in Fukushima Prefecture.
At the Business Meeting, Expectation Outweighed Concern
On 9 September in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, the Fukushima office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the local Toho Bank held a business matching event. Twenty-one food-related companies from the prefecture, all keen to expand their overseas sales channels, took part and held talks with domestic trading companies. According to Fukushima Prefecture, exports of its products in fiscal 2024 came to 1.585 billion yen, roughly double the figure for fiscal 2019. The weak yen underpinned that growth. Even so, at the venue more voices were heard expressing hope for expanded sales channels than worry about the stronger yen. A representative of Atago Shoji, a Tokyo trading company, believes the current rise of the yen is temporary and that the weak-yen trend will continue.
Homare Shuzo: North America Accounts for 80% of Exports
One of the companies at the event was Homare Shuzo in Kitakata, in the Aizu region of western Fukushima Prefecture. The brewery began exporting about 20 years ago and has grown its overseas sales year after year. Its sake, which has won top awards at international competitions, and its liqueurs, which let drinkers enjoy fruit flavours, are said to be popular. According to president Hiroyuki Karahashi, the main export destinations are the United States and Canada, and North America together accounts for about 80% of export value.
Products Chosen Even at a Slightly Higher Price, Rather Than Exchange Rates
Japan’s “traditional sake brewing” has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, and Japanese sake is attracting attention abroad. While wary of the stronger yen, Homare Shuzo hopes to raise the share of exports in its sales from the current 15% to 20%. President Karahashi says that what a brewery can do is limited, and that the best approach is to build brand strength and make products that people will pick up even if the price is a little higher. At the same time, there is awareness that interest-rate rises by the Bank of Japan will narrow the gap between Japanese and US rates, so the outlook for the yen remains unclear.
If the yen stays strong, it may also affect the purchase price of Japanese sake reaching Europe. Yet what emerges from this report is the stance of a producer that aims to be chosen for quality and brand rather than by cutting prices. When you choose sake in a shop or from a restaurant list, look beyond the price to international competition awards and the brewery’s place of origin. Fukushima Prefecture lies in Japan’s Tohoku region, and the Aizu area is known as a sake-brewing country.
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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