Tequila imports into Japan have more than doubled since 2021, reaching 3,843 kilolitres in 2025, even as imported whisky volumes declined, according to Japan customs data compiled by ProWine Tokyo.

The figures, released as part of a market briefing ahead of ProWine Tokyo 2027, the trade fair set for Tokyo Big Sight East from April 13 to 15, show a broader pattern across Japan's imported spirits market: falling volumes offset by rising prices, with whisky, brandy and tequila each moving in different directions on value even as the overall market cools.

What Japan's 2025 import figures show

In 2025, Japan imported approximately 480 million litres of alcoholic beverages valued at ¥390.2 billion, or about US$2.49 billion. Fermented drinks, including wine, comprised 70.8% of the volume, while distilled spirits made up 26.5%. That 26.5% slice amounted to 127 million litres of imported spirits, valued at ¥113.6 billion, or roughly US$725 million, as rising unit prices across major categories offset declining volumes.

Whisky continued to dominate that spirits total by value. Import volumes of whisky fell last year, yet the category still represented ¥70.2 billion, about US$444 million, equal to 49.7% of import volume and 61.8% of value. The unit price of imported whisky has risen by 7% since 2017.

Why whisky still takes the biggest share of spending

Japan's own whisky consumption helps explain why the category still commands such a large slice of import value even as shipments from abroad shrink. According to the National Tax Agency, whisky consumption in Japan reached about 205 million litres in the fiscal year running from April 2024 to March 2025, the highest level since the early 1990s. Imports made up about 16.8% of total whisky and brandy consumption, meaning most of what Japanese drinkers consume in that category is produced domestically.

Elsewhere in the spirits mix, 'other spirits' accounted for 30.7% of import volume and 16.7% of value, while liqueurs and cordials represented 13.1% of volume and 11% of value. Average import prices for liqueurs, gin, rum, vodka and brandy rose by between 31% and 55% between 2017 and 2025. Gin imports fell to 2.5 million litres, though craft gin is reportedly thriving domestically, with Japanese gin exports growing roughly fourfold over the past five years. Vodka imports dropped to 1.8 million litres, even as domestic vodka shipments grew by double digits for four consecutive years, reaching a post-1998 high in 2025.

Where tequila and brandy are gaining ground

Brandy's gain is almost entirely a value story rather than a volume one. The category accounts for only 1.4% of spirits import volume but 5.6% of import value, and fruit brandy volumes rebounded by about one third in 2025, according to the ProWine Tokyo data.

Tequila's growth is more straightforward. Import volumes have more than doubled since 2021, reaching 3,843 kilolitres in 2025. In the first half of 2026 alone, imports already totalled 2,943 kilolitres, about three quarters of the entirety of the previous year's volume. ProWine Tokyo's briefing states that tequila is expected to keep growing.

What ProWine Tokyo told importers

ProWine Tokyo, the Messe Dusseldorf-run trade fair that compiled the customs figures for its 2027 edition, framed the data as a single directive for brands entering or expanding in Japan: volume is not the metric that matters. The organiser said Japanese consumers are moving toward higher-value products, particularly craft whisky and craft gin, and that although sales volume in litres is stabilising, rising unit prices are driving consistent value growth. As a result, ProWine Tokyo said brands looking to capitalise on this market should prioritise premium positioning, product provenance, and consumer education.

What this means

I'd read this as further evidence that Japan is behaving like a mature, price-insensitive importer rather than a growth-volume market, which tends to favor tequila houses already positioned at the premium end rather than high-volume entrants. Tequila Ocho Plata, rated 89 of 95 in this publication's database, is the kind of bottle built for exactly that positioning, though whether any particular house is gaining share in Japan specifically remains undocumented in the figures released so far.