NEWS
EXPORTS OF JAPANESE SAKE HIT HISTORIC HIGH ONE YEAR AFTER CULTURAL HERITAGE RECOGNITION
By Susan Lewis
8-1-2026
Source: Unsplash
One year after UNESCO recognised the traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, exports of sake hit historical high.
In 2024, sake exports already reached a record high, with shipments to 80 countries totalling 3.45 million nine-liter cases and an export value of ¥43.5 billion (USD277.6 million). From January to October 2025, ten months after UNESCO’s recognition, exports continued to grow at an annual rate of 8 percent.
The Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) has focused on education and experiential marketing in regions where sake culture is still developing, such as Eastern Europe and Latin America.
The UNESCO recognition was awarded on 5 December 2024. Rather than focusing on a single technique or ingredient, UNESCO’s decision acknowledged the collective knowledge, customs, and craftsmanship that have shaped sake-making for centuries.
This includes the work of toji (master brewers) and kurabito (brewery workers), as well as the cultural practices that have allowed these traditions to be handed down through generations.
On 6 December 2025, a first-anniversary event was held in Asakusa, Tokyo to mark one year since UNESCO’s recognition.
Brewers, educators, mixologists, chefs, and other stakeholders gathered to discuss the future of koji-based sake-making.
Despite their different backgrounds, attendees shared a commitment to preserving and expanding this tradition both within Japan and internationally.
Sake-making in Japan is believed to have taken its current form over 500 years ago. Central to this process is koji mold, a group of microorganisms that play a key role in saccharifying and fermenting raw materials.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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