Kirin Holdings' president and COO Takeshi Minakata told reporters that moderate beer can improve “spiritual or mental” wellbeing, arguing alcohol “energises society.” He made the remarks at a media drinks party in Tokyo, positioning the claim against WHO’s stance that no level of drinking is safe. Kirin, Japan’s second‑largest brewer, is betting on this narrative as its stock lags the Nikkei 225 to attract youth.

Faced with a shrinking domestic market—Japanese per‑capita alcohol use peaked in the late 1990s—Kirin has accelerated a pivot to health science. The group bought Australian wellness brand Blackmores in 2023 and Japan’s Fancl in 2024, then sold Four Roses bourbon in April. Its health division aims for $5 billion in revenue by 2035, leveraging fermentation expertise to market vitamins and immune‑support products in Asia.

Kirin’s shares have risen more than a third over the past year but still underperformed the broader market. Morningstar analyst Jacky Tsang sees the health push as scalable, citing Blackmores’ premium brand image and Kirin’s distribution network. Investors now weigh whether the beer‑to‑health transformation can offset long‑term declines in alcohol sales in the near term.