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Selling beer, wine and spirits in Japan

In Japan, liquor is a drink of 1% alcohol or more under the Liquor Tax Act, overseen by the National Tax Agency. Selling it needs a licence for each place of sale, tax falls due when it leaves the brewery or bonded area, and labels follow the liquor rules and the Food Labelling Standards.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main law
Liquor Tax Act (酒税法)
Regulator
National Tax Agency, through local tax offices
Definition
A drink of 1% alcohol or more
Selling
A sales licence for each place of sale
Who pays the tax
The producer, or whoever takes it out of a bonded area
Label notice
Drinking under 20 is prohibited by law

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Which of the four categories and 17 items is it, and what is its tax rate? Read more
  2. 2Which sales licence does the importer or seller hold, for which place of sale? Read more
  3. 3What must the label show under the liquor rules? Read more
  4. 4What must it show under the Food Labelling Standards? Read more
  5. 5Is the import notified, and does the drink meet the food standards? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Sales and production licences

Who may make and sell liquor in Japan.

  • Making or selling liquor works on a licence system, adopted to collect liquor tax reliably and pass it on to consumers, the NTA explains.
  • A seller needs a sales licence from the head of the tax office for each place of sale; a branch needs its own licence even if the head office holds one (Liquor Tax Act, Articles 9 and 10).
  • A business that imports liquor and sells it to consumers or restaurants needs a general liquor retail licence; selling by mail order across two or more prefectures needs a mail-order retail licence; selling to other liquor dealers needs a wholesale licence, such as an imported liquor wholesale licence.
  • The tax office reviews the applicant's compliance record, business footing and sales facilities, and may refuse a licence to keep supply and demand in balance.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each licence with the places of sale and products it covers, and shows which channel a product is sold through. Ask about this

Liquor tax

How liquor is categorised and taxed.

  • The Liquor Tax Act sorts liquor into four categories, sparkling, brewed, distilled and mixed, divided into 17 items, with a tax rate by category (Articles 2 and 3).
  • Tax is charged by volume, at the rates in the NTA's table in force from 1 October 2026 (Article 23).
  • The taxpayer is the producer, when liquor leaves the production site, or the person who takes it out of a bonded area, when it is taken out (Article 6).

How we help: Compliant Always records each product's category, item and alcohol strength from its specification, so the figures behind the tax line are on file. Ask about this

Labelling

What a bottle or can sold in Japan has to show.

  • Under the Act on the Securing of Liquor Tax and on Liquor Business Associations (酒税の保全及び酒類業組合等に関する法律), containers show the name of the business, the location of the production site, the volume, the item of liquor and the alcohol strength (Article 86-5).
  • The item, such as beer or fruit wine, is shown on the side with the main trademark in a set type size that depends on volume and the number of characters, in Japanese characters.
  • A notice such as '20歳未満の者の飲酒は法律で禁止されています' (drinking by those under 20 is prohibited by law) is shown clearly, under the NTA's standard on preventing drinking by under-20s.
  • Under the Food Labelling Standards, liquor shows its name, additives and the food business responsible, marked as manufacturer, processor, importer or seller, inside a labelling box; best-before date, storage method and nutrition may be omitted.
  • The NTA also sets production and quality labelling standards for sake and for fruit wine, and a standard for geographical indications.

How we help: Compliant Always sets each label beside the NTA's checklist items and the Food Labelling Standards, with the source for each. Ask about this

Import and food safety

How liquor is checked as food.

  • Liquor is food, so each import for sale is notified to an MHLW quarantine station (Food Sanitation Act, Article 27).
  • Alcoholic beverage production is a business that needs a licence from the prefectural governor under the Food Sanitation Act (Order for Enforcement, Article 35).
  • The NTA's yearly survey checks the methyl alcohol, sulphite, sorbic acid and potassium sorbate limits set under the food sanitation rules, and checks labelling.
  • The NTA publishes a list of food additives and processing aids for grape wine in Japan.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps lab reports and producers' documents with each product and lot, ready for an import notification or a buyer's question. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ImporterThe sales licence that covers importing and selling, the import notification, and tax when goods leave the bonded area.Producers' documents read and dated before the goods ship.
ProducerThe production licence, tax when liquor leaves the production site, and the label.Specifications and lab reports kept with each product.
Retailer or online sellerA retail licence for each place of sale, including a mail-order licence for selling across prefectures.Licences kept with the products and channels they cover.
BrandLabel content under the liquor rules and the Food Labelling Standards.Labels checked against both sets of rules, with sources.

National law, prefectural enforcement

Product law in Japan is national. Ministries and the Consumer Affairs Agency set the standards; prefectural governors and cities with public health centres license food businesses, receive food recall notifications and carry out inspections.

Imports are checked at the border: food and food contact articles at MHLW quarantine stations, and liquor licences are granted by the tax office for each place of sale.

Questions businesses ask

What counts as alcohol in Japan?
Under the Liquor Tax Act, liquor is a drink of 1% alcohol or more, including drinks or powders that can be diluted or dissolved to 1% or more, the National Tax Agency explains.
Do I need a licence to sell alcohol in Japan?
Yes. A sales licence from the head of the tax office is needed for each place of sale. A branch needs its own licence even if the head office has one.
Which licence do I need to import alcohol into Japan?
Selling imported liquor to consumers or restaurants needs a general liquor retail licence; mail order across two or more prefectures needs a mail-order retail licence; selling to dealers needs a wholesale licence, such as an imported liquor wholesale licence.
Can I sell alcohol online in Japan?
Mail-order retail across a wide area of two or more prefectures needs a mail-order liquor retail licence (通信販売酒類小売業免許) from the tax office.
Who pays liquor tax in Japan?
The producer, when liquor leaves the production site, or the person who takes it out of a bonded area, at that moment (Liquor Tax Act, Article 6).
How is liquor taxed in Japan?
By volume. Liquor is sorted into four categories, sparkling, brewed, distilled and mixed, and 17 items, with rates set by category and published by the NTA.
What must an alcohol label in Japan show?
The business name, production site, volume, item and alcohol strength under the liquor association law, plus the Food Labelling Standards particulars such as the name and additives, in Japanese.
Is an underage drinking warning required on alcohol labels?
Yes. A notice such as 'drinking by those under 20 is prohibited by law' is shown clearly, under the NTA's standard on preventing drinking by under-20s.
Does imported alcohol need a food import notification?
Yes. Liquor is food under the Food Sanitation Act, so each import for sale is notified to an MHLW quarantine station.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Japan?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the Japanese-language sources. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Japan and what your paperwork needs to show.

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