Japan Warms to Alcohol-free Beer during Pandemic
2021-03-19
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1In Japan, some workers who regularly drink beer at the end of the day are giving their livers a rest and turning to beer that is free, or nearly free, of alcohol.
2Because of the coronavirus health crisis, many Japanese people are not doing the things they used to do after work.
3Parts of Japan, including Tokyo, are currently under rules that restrict people's movement until March 21.
4So, while people in Japan still like to drink beer, many are not doing it as often.
5They are also trying kinds of beer that have very little alcohol or none at all.
6Tadasu Masuda lives in Kobe, Japan.
7He is trying low-alcohol beers as a way to give his liver a day off.
8The liver is the organ that works to remove alcohol from the body.
9Masuda said he is paying more attention to his health now that he is older.
10Asahi is a large beverage company in Japan.
11It expects to make 20 percent more money from low-alcohol beer in 2021 compared to last year.
12Kirin is another company that makes things to drink.
13It saw sales grow by 10 percent last year and expects another increase this year.
14The increase in sales of non-alcoholic beer might be the result of many Japanese people spending more time at home.
15In the past, they would order beers together while going out.
16More people are trying to stay healthy, as well.
17Also, fewer people are drinking beer, as wine and other alcoholic drinks become more popular.
18But the new interest in low-alcohol beer has helped the beverage industry in Japan.
19In recent years, many companies started making non-alcoholic beers.
20They caught on in places like Australia and Germany but not in Japan - until this year.
21The chief of Suntory, another large beverage company in Japan, said people only responded to non-alcoholic beer advertising when the product started to taste better.
22Many people agree that today's non-alcoholic beers taste better than they used to.
23Asahi's "Beery" has very little alcohol.
24But it is supposed to have more taste than earlier versions of low-alcohol beer because of a new way of removing the alcohol.
25The company plans to offer more low-alcohol beers in coming years.
26Kirin and Suntory are also trying to make low-alcohol beers with better ingredients than in the past.
27Kazuo Matsuyama is marketing chief for Asahi.
28He said most beer companies used to advertise to people who had a drink every day.
29That was about 20 million people.
30But there are about 80 million people in Japan between the ages of 20 and 60.
31"But now we need to look at others," Matsuyama said.
32I'm Dan Friedell.
1In Japan, some workers who regularly drink beer at the end of the day are giving their livers a rest and turning to beer that is free, or nearly free, of alcohol. 2Because of the coronavirus health crisis, many Japanese people are not doing the things they used to do after work. Parts of Japan, including Tokyo, are currently under rules that restrict people's movement until March 21. So, while people in Japan still like to drink beer, many are not doing it as often. They are also trying kinds of beer that have very little alcohol or none at all. 3Tadasu Masuda lives in Kobe, Japan. He is trying low-alcohol beers as a way to give his liver a day off. The liver is the organ that works to remove alcohol from the body. Masuda said he is paying more attention to his health now that he is older. 4Asahi is a large beverage company in Japan. It expects to make 20 percent more money from low-alcohol beer in 2021 compared to last year. Kirin is another company that makes things to drink. It saw sales grow by 10 percent last year and expects another increase this year. 5The increase in sales of non-alcoholic beer might be the result of many Japanese people spending more time at home. In the past, they would order beers together while going out. More people are trying to stay healthy, as well. 6Also, fewer people are drinking beer, as wine and other alcoholic drinks become more popular. But the new interest in low-alcohol beer has helped the beverage industry in Japan. 7In recent years, many companies started making non-alcoholic beers. They caught on in places like Australia and Germany but not in Japan - until this year. 8The chief of Suntory, another large beverage company in Japan, said people only responded to non-alcoholic beer advertising when the product started to taste better. Many people agree that today's non-alcoholic beers taste better than they used to. 9Asahi's "Beery" has very little alcohol. But it is supposed to have more taste than earlier versions of low-alcohol beer because of a new way of removing the alcohol. The company plans to offer more low-alcohol beers in coming years. 10Kirin and Suntory are also trying to make low-alcohol beers with better ingredients than in the past. 11Kazuo Matsuyama is marketing chief for Asahi. He said most beer companies used to advertise to people who had a drink every day. That was about 20 million people. But there are about 80 million people in Japan between the ages of 20 and 60. 12"But now we need to look at others," Matsuyama said. 13I'm Dan Friedell. 14Ritsuko Ando wrote this story for the Reuters News Agency. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 15Have you tried non-alcoholic beer? We want to hear from you. Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 16________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18beverage -n. something you can drink 19respond -v. to do something as a reaction to something that has happened or been done 20ingredients -n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc.