Japan continues to raise its importation of wines from abroad since the start of the year.
Data culled from the Customs and Tariff Bureau of the Finance Ministry showed that in the first three months of 2020, Japan bought a total of 47.4 billion yen (around US$368 million) worth of wines, 22% higher compared to the record seen in the same quarter last year.
A bulk of imported wines came from France, which grew by 24% in value to 27.3 billion yen.
The value of Chilean and Italian wines in Japan also rose by 34% and 11%, respectively.
Among imported wines, American wines saw the largest jump in value, up 72% to 4.5 billion yen compared to January-March 2021.
In the first quarter, Spain and Australia raised their wine exports to Japan by 3% and 27%, respectively.
German and New Zealand wines in Japan also increased in value by 34% and 32%, respectively.
Wines from South Africa and Portugal saw higher value in Japan, up by 24% and 26% over last year.
In terms of categories, imported sparkling wines grew by 22% in Japan to 18.7 billion yen. Imported fortified wines went up 12% while imported bottles of more than 2 liters but less than 10L soared by 35%.
In March alone, Japan's wine importation increased by 14% to 15.9 billion yen (US$123 million).
Japan's Top 10 Wine Exporters in Q1 2022
| Rank | Country | Value in 2022 | Value in 2021 | % Change |
| 1 | France | 27,361,088,000 yen | 22,132,304,000 yen | +24% |
| 2 | Chile | 5,384,085,000 yen | 4,023,970,000 yen | +34% |
| 3 | Italy | 5,313,245,000 yen | 4,803,816,000 yen | +11% |
| 4 | United States | 4,457,283,000 yen | 2,587,800,000 yen | +72% |
| 5 | Spain | 2,748,845,000 yen | 2,666,917,000 yen | +3% |
| 6 | Australia | 1,289,448,000 yen | 1,017,757,000 yen | +27% |
| 7 | Germany | 418,683,000 yen | 313,120,000 yen | +34% |
| 8 | New Zealand | 335,902,000 yen | 254,282,000 yen | +32% |
| 9 | South Africa | 235,285,000 yen | 189,607,000 yen | +24% |
| 10 | Portugal | 194,768,000 yen | 154,424,000 yen | +26% |
| Total | 47,393,034,000 yen | 38,768,702,000 yen | +22% |
Wine Categories in Q1 2022
| Wine Category | Value in 2022 | Value in 2021 | % Change |
| Sparkling | 18,668,818,000 yen | 15,244,084,000 yen | +22% |
| Fortified | 117,241,000 yen | 104,668,000 yen | +12% |
| More than 2L but less than 10L | 679,609,000 yen | 504,536,000 yen | +35% |
Japan's Top 10 Wine Exporters in March 2022
| Rank | Country | Value in 2022 | Value in 2021 | % Change |
| 1 | France | 8,309,460,000 yen | 8,023,977,000 yen | +4% |
| 2 | United States | 1,977,876,000 yen | 906,691,000 yen | +118% |
| 3 | Chile | 1,765,506,000 yen | 1,420,040,000 yen | +24% |
| 4 | Italy | 1,768,688,000 yen | 1,451,084,000 yen | +22% |
| 5 | Spain | 935,327,000 yen | 1,060,528,000 yen | -12% |
| 6 | Australia | 448,233,000 yen | 464,953,000 yen | -4% |
| 7 | Germany | 170,348,000 yen | 161,379,000 yen | +6% |
| 8 | New Zealand | 160,227,000 yen | 98,346,000 yen | +63% |
| 9 | South Africa | 106,676,000 yen | 88,475,000 yen | +21% |
| 10 | Portugal | 74,100,000 yen | 48,236,000 yen | +54% |
| Total | 15,892,025,000 yen | 13,962,288,000 yen | +14% |
Wine Categories in March 2022
| Wine Category | Value in 2022 | Value in 2021 | % Change |
| Sparkling | 5,468,888,000 yen | 4,982,133,000 yen | +10% |
| Fortified | 69,283,000 yen | 47,485,000 yen | +46% |
| More than 2L but less than 10L | 185,907,000 yen | 189,722,000 yen | -2% |
