Asahi’s premium sake production suspended after heavy rainfall

Asahi Shuzo, the maker of leading sake brand Dassai, has suspended its production at its brewery based in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture due to a power cut, following heavy rain storms in western Japan that triggered deadly floods and mud slides.

Heavy rain storms in the western part of Japan have killed over 100 people

The heavy rainfall that battered the western part of Japan over the past weekend have already led to at least 109 deaths, with 79 people still missing and 267,000 homes without access to running water, according to WSJ.

The rain storms have disrupted many business and manufacturing in the region. On its website, Asahi wrote its brewery in Iwakuni has suffered losses due to flooding and power cuts, but no staff has been harmed.

Production at the brewery has been halted at this stage, and the company has yet to announce when it expects to begin again.

In addition to Asahi, one of Panasonic Corp’s factories in Okayama Prefecture, one of the hardest-hit areas, also suspended its operations due to flooding on its manufacturing floors, reported Japan Times.

The Dassai sake brand is among the most popular brands in Japan. Earlier this year, in an effort to expand its export market, the brewery announced plans to make sake in New York.

It plans to secure about 62,400 square metres of land in the city, and it’s expected to commence production in 2019.