Photo: Japan's Thirst for Beer Quashed By High Cost of Imports

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A waiter serves pitchers of beer at a busy rooftop bar in Tokyo on August 4, 2006.

Japanese beer shipments began to rise in 2006 as the country's lagging economy started to strengthen. But now the global food crisis and high oil prices have hit the import-dependent industry hard, sending the price of raw ingredients skyrocketing and forcing manufacturers to raise prices.

Read more of our special series on the global food crisis.

AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye

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