Why High-Alcohol Chuhai Drinks are Disappearing in Japan
Maybe they’re not so Strong: once-popular high-alcohol chuhai drinks are disappearing in Japan due to a mounting health backlash.
By Himari Semans
The notorious Strong series consumed for a cheap pregame on nights out in Japan is disappearing from shelves. After years of health professionals decrying the series for its adverse health effects, many manufacturers are now saying they’ll stop selling the products for good.
Why you might see zero Strong Zeros soon
On February 19th, the Ministry of Health released guidelines sounding the alarm on drinking. New findings say a single long can of beer raises risks of colon cancer.
The warning follows Asahi Beer and Sapporo Beer’s respective announcements of plans to end new product lines of canned chuhai (fruity alcoholic drinks made with shochu or vodka) with 8% or more alcohol.
“We haven’t announced this as a company, but our plan is to not sell new products with an alcohol percentage of over 8% moving forward. However, we will continue the sales of our current products,” Asahi Group…
