First Decline in Kagoshima Shochu Shipments in Nine Years
Shochu supply and demand statistics for Kagoshima Prefecture in 2007 released on the 22nd show that roughly 152,000 kiloliters of the beverage were shipped in the prefecture that year, a 2.5% decline from the previous year. That is the first year-on-year drop in shochu shipments in nine years. The decline is attributed to a price rise equivalent to about 100 yen per 1.8 liters, and a leveling off of the nationwide shochu boom.