Kirin's pursuit of diversified growth has been fuelled by stagnation in its domestic market. Japan's beer industry has battled against market maturity and an aging population for some time, and while innovative new product development has ensured that sales remain healthy, growth is increasingly only achievable elsewhere in the world.
The Japanese firm's most high-profile moves of 2007 saw it acquire the Australian interests of Philippine brewing partner San Miguel Corp for $2.6 billion in November, while October saw it land compatriot drug maker Kyowa Hakko Kogya, also for $2.6 billion. Other notable efforts saw Kirin commence construction of its second soft drinks plant in China and enter into a soft drinks joint venture with Acecook in Vietnam.