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[1/5] Taiko Nakamura samples whisky barreled in the year he founded at his distillery in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan October 25, 2023. The explosion of craft whisky in Japan follows a boom and bust in the industry. Last week, Sotheby's offered what it claimed was the most valuable collection of Japanese whisky at auction, headlined by a 52-year old bottle that sold for 300,000 pounds ($373,830). Suntory, Japan's biggest and best-known whisky maker, recently invested 10 billion yen ($67 million) to upgrade its distilleries, including its Yamazaki site. "I believe we need to put all our effort into making Japanese whisky that lives up to the quality of the Japanese whiskies made by our predecessors," he said.

Persons: Rocky Swift, Suntory's, Taiko Nakamura, Long, whiskies, Sotheby's, Shinji Fukuyo, Casey Wahl, Kamui, Shizuoka's Nakamura, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Suntory, trailblazer, Nikka, Asahi Group, Japan's, Japanese distillers, Diageo, IJW Whiskey, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, Yamazaki, Scotland, Hong Kong, Japanese, Komasa Kanosuke, Kentucky, Hokkaido, American, Rishiri

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese boys-band production company at the center of an unfolding sexual abuse scandal, Johnny & Associates, chose three former judges Wednesday to head its effort to compensate hundreds of victims. “We recognize that the late Johnny Kitagawa carried out sexual assaults over a long period, and we apologize to the victims from the bottom of our hearts,” the company said. Among the latest was Kao Corp., a chemical and cosmetics company, which cited “considerations for people’s various feelings” on Tuesday. McDonald’s Japan has also said it will stop using Johnny’s stars in future deals, but past ads featuring them remained on its official site. Johnny’s stars are extremely popular, leading to sponsorship revenue and hit TV shows.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Johnny's, Noriyuki Higashiyama, Johnny’s, “, ”, McDonald’s, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Johnny & Associates, Asahi Group Holdings, Suntory Holdings, Kao Corp, Public, NHK, Japan Federation of Bar, Business, Rights Locations: Tokyo, Japan, McDonald’s Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Several major Japanese companies have decided to stop using stars who are represented by Johnny & Associates, an entertainment company at the center of a sexual assault scandal. Victims have come forward, demanding an apology and financial compensation from Johnny & Associates, which remains one of this nation’s most powerful entertainment companies. Critics say the mainstream news media kept silent because it didn’t want to lose access to Johnny’s stars for their programming. But public opinion has shifted dramatically in recent months, with the wave of companies dropping Johnny's expected to grow. Suntory Holdings said it will stop using Johnny’s personnel in its ads and has formally demanded improved corporate governance.

Persons: Johnny &, Junichi Okada, Toma Ikuta, Sho Sakurai, Johnny, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Johnny Kitagawa, Fujishima, Kitagawa, Hibiki, Hokuto, Atsushi Katsuki, Johnny's, ”, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Johnny, Johnny & Associates, Beverage, Asahi Group Holdings, Johnny’s, Japan Airlines, Nippon Life Insurance, Suntory Holdings, Asahi, Twitter Locations: Tokyo, SixTONES

☆ Japan’s largest brewer sets its sights on China — again
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japan's Asahi Group Holdings has plans to dive back into the China market as it looks to revive investments in the world's largest beer market. The company divested from China years ago due to the lack of "premiumized products" and "very low" prices at that time, Katsuki said. In 2017, Asahi announced it would sell its nearly 20% stake in China's Tsingtao Brewery to Fosun Group and its subsidiaries. "But with the entry of the international brands and also craft beer, the premium segment in China is now really taking off and growing substantially." "Asahi Super Dry has the largest sales already from the China market now and it's growing double digits every year, so we want to continue to really invest into this premium market," he added.

Persons: We've, Atsushi Katsuki, CNBC's Martin Soong, we're, Katsuki Organizations: Japan's Asahi Group Holdings, Asahi, Fosun Group Locations: China, Tsingtao

[1/5] TANAKA whose real name is Kim Kyung-wook, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, May 16, 2023. Now Kim exemplifies the changing attitudes of young Koreans as ties with Japan thaw. DEMAND REBOUNDThe quarrels are being left behind as the enthusiasm of young Koreans fuels a sharp rebound in demand for Japanese consumer products. That compared with a 90% drop in imports of Japanese beer in 2019, when the intensifying feuds made it an early target of a sweeping boycott. "China is clearly less preferred than countries like the United States and Japan," Kim said, citing Beijing's curbs on freedom in Hong Kong and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persons: TANAKA, Kim Kyung, Kim Hong, Ji, Jeong, Tanaka, idolises, I've, it's, Kim, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, James Kim, Hyonhee Shin, Heekyong Yang, Jimin Jung, Daewoung Kim, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, South, Korea's, Relations, Asahi Group Holdings, Costco, Hankook Research, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Ji SEOUL, South Korean, Japan, Tokyo, Korean, China, Russia, North Korea, United States, Hong Kong

☆ The cost pressure is big when it comes to our glass bottles, Asahi Group CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe cost pressure is big when it comes to our glass bottles, Asahi Group CEO saysAtsushi Katsuki of the food and drinks business says the company isn't optimistic about the outlook on inflation.

Kirin has offered A$95 cash per Blackmores share, a 23.7% premium to the stock's last close, and a tad higher than its 22.4% jump in morning trade. Before the Kirin deal, its shares had been trading at one-third of their value at the height of the daigou craze in 2016. The board of Blackmores has unanimously recommended shareholders support the deal, with top shareholder and former chairman Marcus Blackmore also agreeing to vote in favour. Blackmores' share price rose as much as 22.4% to A$94, its highest since December 2021. Blackmores shareholders will be able to vote on the offer at a shareholder meeting in July and the companies expect the deal to close in early August.

☆ We would see rising wages in Japan as favorable, Asahi Group CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe would see rising wages in Japan as favorable, Asahi Group CEOAtsushi Katsuki of the food and drinks business says rising wages would lead to an increase in personal consumption, "which is good for our company's business performance."

☆ Investors need to embrace these stocks that we love
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

I’ve typically done this stock picking feature in early to mid February as a Stocks We Love type of story, pegging it to Valentine’s Day. The restaurant stocks in particular could do well. Inflation is obviously still a concern for big consumer brands. Consumer prices rose 6.5% over the past 12 months through December, down from a 7.1% pace in November. Up nextMonday: Earnings from TreeHouse Foods (THS), Avis Budget (CAR), FirstEnergy (FE), IAC (IAC) and PalantirTuesday: US CPI; Japan GDP; UK employment report; earnings from Coca-Cola, Asahi Group, Marriott (MAR).

☆ Kirin seeks more North American craft beer factories after strong growth
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Miho Uranaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Kirin Holdings (2503.T), Japan's second-largest brewer, is looking to buy factory facilities in North America to maintain strong growth in the region's craft beer market, its chief executive said. Kirin has seen sales volumes in the North American craft beer market climb by double-digit percentage figures since acquiring Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing in 2019 and Bell's Brewery in Michigan in 2021. "Our craft beer business in North America is on a roll," CEO Yoshinori Isozaki said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. North American craft beer is also now the company's most profitable segment among global businesses that span everything from whisky to probiotic health drinks, he added, without disclosing profit margins. Kirin had craft beer sales of about 60 billion yen ($454 million) in the year ended in March, accounting for 3% of global sales.

☆ Sapporo Holdings investor 3D writes to external directors seeking overhaul -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: Cans of Sapporo Holdings' beer are aligned during a photo opportunity at the company's lobby in Tokyo February 16, 2011. REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoTOKYO (Reuters) - Sapporo Holdings Ltd investor 3D Investment Partners has reached out to the Japanese beer maker’s five external directors seeking major changes in an attempt to improve its performance, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday. Unhappy with Sapporo’s low profit margins and return on equity, the Singapore-based fund has asked the five outside directors to postpone the announcement of a new business plan scheduled on Wednesday, among other requests, the paper said. 3D Investment Partners and Sapporo Holdings declined to comment on the report. In a letter to the directors dated Nov. 3, the fund noted that Sapporo Holdings had failed to meet its sales target during the past 15 years, and that its return on equity (ROE) averaged 2% in the past five years - far lower than rivals Kirin Holdings’s 14% and Asahi Group Holdings’s 11%, the Nikkei said.

☆ Sapporo Holdings investor 3D writes to external directors seeking overhaul, Nikkei reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Sapporo Holdings Ltd (2501.T) investor 3D Investment Partners has reached out to the Japanese beer maker's five external directors seeking major changes in an attempt to improve its performance, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday. Unhappy with Sapporo's low profit margins and return on equity, the Singapore-based fund has asked the five outside directors to postpone the announcement of a new business plan scheduled on Wednesday, among other requests, the paper said. 3D Investment Partners and Sapporo Holdings declined to comment on the report. In a letter to the directors dated Nov. 3, the fund noted that Sapporo Holdings had failed to meet its sales target during the past 15 years, and that its return on equity (ROE) averaged 2% in the past five years - far lower than rivals Kirin Holdings's (2503.T) 14% and Asahi Group Holdings's (2502.T) 11%, the Nikkei said. Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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