Overview
- Suntory will raise Kinmugi’s malt content to at least 50% to meet the legal definition of beer and to boost body and flavor.
- Kinmugi, Kinmugi The Lager, and Kinmugi 75% Less Carbs will carry the “draft beer” label under the new classification.
- Although treated as beer under tax law, the company says retail pricing will remain comparable to happoshu to satisfy price-sensitive customers.
- From October 2026 the tax on 350ml cans will unify at ¥54.25, making beer about ¥9 cheaper and happoshu about ¥7 more expensive, with the shelf-price gap projected to narrow to roughly ¥25–35.
- Introduced in 2007 as a third-category product, Kinmugi is shifting as earlier tax changes in 2020 and 2023 shrank that segment and as a 2025 survey found 38% of consumers prefer the cheapest alcohol option.