According to Japanese publication NHK World, beer brands; Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo are due to boost the prices of bottled beer and kegs in the spring.

Japan was the sixth highest consumer of beer globally in 2016 and it has been reported that wholesale prices of bottled beer are expected to rise by about 10%.

China has also begun to raise the cost of its beer in an attempt to appeal to its growing middle-class and deter foreign imports.

Labor costs and natural resource inflation are also at the heart of China's beer price increase.