Rising prices put pressure on volume sales in 2025
Off-trade volume sales of soft drinks have declined in 2025 with economic pressures and rising prices forcing consumers to economise. As prices have risen some consumers have switched to cheaper brands or have down traded to private label, especially in categories where there is perceived to be little difference in quality. Despite economic pressures, healthier soft drinks products continue to find an audience with consumers willing to pay more for added functionality.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Soft Drinks industry in Japan with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Bottled Water
- Carbonates
- Concentrates
- Juice
- RTD Coffee
- RTD Tea
- Energy Drinks
- Sports Drinks
- Asian Speciality Drinks
If you're in the Soft Drinks industry in Japan, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Soft Drinks in Japan report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Soft Drinks in Japan?
- To what extent are health considerations impacting consumption of Soft Drinks in Japan?
- How are changing social attitudes and legislation (eg sugar tax) reshaping demand and consumption?
- How are changing demographics (for example, an ageing or predominantly young population) determining consumption of Soft Drinks in Japan?
- Which are the leading brands in Soft Drinks in Japan?
- What potential exists for multinational or domestic soft drinks companies to expand in Japan?
- How are products distributed in Soft Drinks in Japan?
- How is the rise of e-commerce changing the retail and competitive landscape?
- How have home seclusion and social distancing measures following COVID-19 impacted sales of Soft Drinks?
- How are sustainability issues, such as environmentally-friendly packaging, legislation on recyclability, or the amount of plastic in bottles, impacting the soft drinks industry?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Soft Drinks in Japan
Rising prices put pressure on volume sales in 2025
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Price rises lead to a decline in off-trade volume sales of soft drinks in 2025
Functional soft drinks gain prominence
Innovation has become faster, riskier, and more culturally embedded
Shrinking population likely to limit opportunities for volume growth
Healthy and natural products likely to attract more interest moving forward
Vending evolving as it looks to meet the needs of modern consumers
Coca-Cola and Suntory continue to invest in product development and innovation
Nippon Del Monte finds success with new line of tomato juice
Label-less products gain traction as online sales rise
On-trade volume sales continue to recover buoyed by interest in RTD tea
Fountain sales in Japan
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
Bottled Water in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Economic headwinds put pressure on sales of bottled water
Bottled water sales decline amid economic pressures
Carbonated and sparkling flavoured bottled water lose their fizz
Challenges ahead for bottled water sales in Japan
Companies exploring eco-friendly water solutions
Suntory leads in the development of sustainable packaging for bottled water
Suntory Leads in Bottled Water Amidst Shifting Consumer Preferences
Asahi finding success with hot water product
Supermarkets continue to lead bottled water sales in 2025
Label-less bottles provide added appeal for e-commerce
Carbonates in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
A tough year for carbonates as prices rise again
Price increases place downward pressure on retail volume sales of carbonates
Heatwaves have a negative impact on sales
Volume sales set to decline but opportunities still exist to add value
Players will need to adapt to the demographic shifts being seen within Japan
Functional carbonates: a shift towards health and wellness
Leading players tap into nostalgia with retro-inspired products
Players also look to the future with new innovations
Distribution shifting towards e-commerce as consumers embrace label-less products
Vending remains a key retail channel despite its sales being under pressure
Concentrates in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Concentrates offers an economical, sustainable and versatile soft drinks option
Liquid concentrates benefit from the value and convenience they offer
Competition from RTD sports drinks a hinderance to the growth of powder concentrates
New consumption occasions should help to fuel growth in liquid concentrates
Asahi under pressure to adjust to demographic changes
Concentrates: a sustainable choice for modern households
Asahi Soft Drinks retains a strong lead in concentrates with its Calpis brand
Ouchi Drink Bar proving to be a big success for Suntory
Asahi looks to feed off the dominant position of supermarkets during “Calpis Day”
CJ Japan Cop targets the on-trade channel
Concentrates Conversions
Juice in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Players focus on adding value as sharp price increases hit volume sales
Volume sales tumble as players look to navigate price hikes
Companies strive to discover the next hit ingredient
Players will need to adapt to evolving trends to sustain demand
Shifting demographics reshaping Japan's juice market
Adapting products for heatstroke prevention in a changing climate
Kagome benefits from the health-focused positioning of its tomato juice
Del Monte taps into the strong demand for tomato juice
Kagome drives tomato juice sales with sampling events at supermarkets
E-commerce picks up share while vending loses favour due to high prices
RTD Coffee in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
RTD coffee under pressure to revamp its image
Demand for RTD coffee negatively impacted by price hikes and heatwaves
New products featuring plant-based milk are rapidly emerging in Japan
Continuous shift from cans to bottles expected
Coca-Cola and Suntory's battle in RTD coffee ramps up in vending
Health-conscious innovations and mushroom coffee offer growth potential
Coca-Cola leads RTD coffee thanks to strategic branding
Tully’s feeds off the success of its café chain
Supermarkets Lead in RTD Coffee Distribution Amid Decline in Vending Machines
Vending slow to adapt to shift towards cashless payments
RTD Tea in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Price rises push consumers away from RTD tea
RTD tea sales dip as consumers switch to homemade brews
Consumers continue to favour reduced sugar still RTD tea
RTD tea faces headwinds as costs rise and consumers brew at home
RTD tea market heats up with café-inspired fruit blends
Evolving health benefits in Japan's RTD green tea market
ITO EN and Asahi lead innovations aimed at revitalising the RTD tea market
Asahi finds success with revamped product line
Supermarkets lead distribution despite losing share due to rising prices
Label-less products helping to push sales online
Energy Drinks in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Rising prices and health concerns lead to a drop in volume sales in 2025
Price increases put a dent in sales of energy drinks
Demand falls as some consumers look to reduce their caffeine intake
Challenges ahead for a maturing energy drinks market
Natural energy drinks make their mark in Japan
Energy drinks will need to evolve as Japan embraces healthier lifestyles
Asahi cements its leadership through new product launches in 2025
Red Bull continues to benefit from new product development and marketing
Convenience stores retain a key role in the sale and promotion of energy drinks
Asahi and Red Bul turn to Lawson to promote new product launches
Sports Drinks in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Sports drinks sales hard hit by price increases
Sales decline amidst price hikes
Demand drops as soaring temperatures limit outdoor activities
Climate change could pose an ongoing threat to sales of sports drinks
Heightened role of sports drinks in heatstroke prevention
Increasing competition could challenge sports drinks
Coca-Cola provides first update to the taste of Aquarius in 20 years
Pocari Sweat benefits from heatstroke awareness campaigns
Vending remains the leading distribution channel despite challenges
E-commerce and convenience stores pick up share
Asian Speciality Drinks in Japan
KEY DATA FINDINGS
A declining birth rate and rising prices impacting sales of Asian speciality drinks
Price hikes put a dent in sales of Asian speciality drinks in 2025
Vinegar drinks remain important to sales of Asian speciality drinks
Challenges ahead amid rising competition
Asahi under pressure to adapt to an ageing consumer base
Health-focused products could gain traction in Japan's mature market
Asahi maintains its dominance through effective use of promotional strategies
Other players focus on health claims to push sales
Supermarkets underpin sales of Asian specialty drinks through in-store promotions
E-commerce picks up further share as the online offer expands
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Soft Drinks
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- Carbonated Natural Mineral Bottled Water
- Carbonated Spring Bottled Water
- Carbonated Purified Bottled Water
-
- Still Flavoured Bottled Water
- Sparkling Flavoured Bottled Water
- Functional Bottled Water
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- Still Natural Mineral Bottled Water
- Still Spring Bottled Water
- Still Purified Bottled Water
-
-
- Regular Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Carbonates
-
- Regular Cola Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Cola Carbonates
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- Regular Non-Cola Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Non-Cola Carbonates
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- Regular Lemonade/Lime
- Reduced Sugar Lemonade/Lime
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- Regular Tonic Water/Mixers/Other Bitters
- Reduced Sugar Tonic Water/Mixers/Other Bitters
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- Regular Orange Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Orange Carbonates
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- Regular Other Non-Cola Carbonates
- Reduced Sugar Other Non-Cola Carbonates
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- Liquid Concentrates
- Powder Concentrates
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- Not from Concentrate 100% Juice
- Reconstituted 100% Juice
- Coconut and Other Plant Waters
- Juice Drinks (up to 24% Juice)
- Nectars
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- RTD Coffee
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- Carbonated RTD Tea and Kombucha
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- Regular Still RTD Tea
- Reduced Sugar Still RTD Tea
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- Regular Energy Drinks
- Reduced Sugar Energy Drinks
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- Regular Sports Drinks
- Reduced Sugar Sports Drinks
- Asian Speciality Drinks
Soft Drinks
This is the aggregation of the following categories; Carbonates, Fruit/vegetable juice, Bottled water, Functional drinks, Concentrates, RTD tea, RTD coffee and Asian speciality drinks.
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This report originates from Passport, our Soft Drinks research and analysis database.
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