Japanese tipples sake and shochu — and the knowledge and skills honed over centuries to make them — have been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.AFP looks at how sake, a rice wine, is made, its myriad varieties, and its role in everyday life and traditions:- History -It’s believed people in the archipelago began brewing rice in a simple way some two millennia ago, with a third-century Chinese chronicle describing the Japanese as fond of alcohol.By around 1000 AD, the imperial palace had a department to supervise the manufacturing of sake and its use in rituals, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.The multi-staged brewing techniques still used today are thought to have been established around the 1700s.Nowadays there are around 1,400 sake breweries in Japan.Shochu, which was also added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Wednesday, is a spirit distilled from different ingredients such as sweet potato, mainly in the country’s southwest.- The process -Sake is stronger than beer or wine made from grapes, but weaker than shochu. It is made by fermenting special rice with bigger and rounder grains than varieties eaten in meals.First, the grains are polished to remove the outer layers, revealing a water-absorbent white core rich in starch.Brewers wash, soak and steam the polished rice before growing a special mould on it called koji. They then mix it with water and yeast to create a starter.Adding more steamed rice and water several times sparks two types of chemical reactions in a single cask –- converting starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol — a more complex process than making wine from sugar-rich grapes.- What’s koji? -Koji is mould from bacteria found in humid Asian countries. It is an essential element of Japanese cuisine — used to make not just sake but also miso, soy sauce and other food.The genus designated as Japan’s national mould is called aspergillus oryzae, also known as “koji-kabi”.”Over more than a thousand years, brewers selected and cultivated the best type of mould from all the wild ones out there,” Taku Takahashi, from Tokyo’s Toshimaya Shuzo brewery, told AFP.The sake-making process as we know it now, where humans intervene to spark fermentation, was developed “after many, many failures”, he added.- Sake varieties -Generally speaking, there are two types of sake: one made purely from rice, and the other, mixed with distilled alcohol.The higher the grade of grain polishing, the fruitier and drier the sake.More polished varieties requiring more rice tend to be pricier, but some gastronomists appreciate less polished types for their rich and mellow flavour.Breweries adjust their flavours to suit local delicacies. For example, near the Pacific Ocean, dry sake is produced to pair with red-meat fish such as tuna and bonito.- How is it consumed? -Sake “has a very important role” in society and is drunk at weddings and funerals, Takahashi said.It is also drunk to mark store openings and election victories — or just to say “kampai” meaning “cheers” in Japanese pubs.Traditionally three ritual offerings are made to the many gods of Japan’s Shinto religion: rice, a rice cake and sake.And at Shinto weddings, the bride and groom drink sake from the same porcelain cup to symbolise their union.Breweries still hang a ball of cedar leaves outside, which change colour from green to brown — letting customers know when the “nouveau” sake is ready in early winter.- Going forward -Sake consumption has declined a lot in Japan over 50 years, as other drinks like beer and wine become more popular.The agriculture ministry says the country drank only 390 million litres of sake in 2023, down from 1.7 billion litres in 1973.However, exports of sake have more than doubled since 2011, and it is now brewed as far afield as New Zealand, France and the United States.

Bitcoin burst past $100,000 for the first time Thursday as traders welcomed Donald Trump’s pick to head the US securities commission, while Seoul stocks slipped as South Korea’s president faced impeachment after his brief imposition of martial law this week.After hovering around the mid-$90,000 mark in recent weeks, the popular cryptocurrency finally burst through the historic level in Asia after it emerged that Trump had chosen major crypto proponent Paul Atkins to take over as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).Atkins is founder of risk consultancy firm Patomak Global Partners, whose clients include companies in the banking, trading and cryptocurrency industries.And Trump’s transition team noted he had co-chaired the Digital Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the use of digital assets, since 2017.Atkins “recognises that digital assets and other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump said.Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management said Atkins has “a track record of critiquing the SEC’s tough stance on cryptocurrency firms”.”This strategic move has electrified the crypto community, fuelling investor optimism about a potentially more accommodating regulatory landscape under Atkins’ watch,” said Innes.After breaking the key level, bitcoin continued to push higher and hit a peak of $103,800 Thursday. It has jumped more than 50 percent since Trump’s poll win — and around 140 percent since the turn of the year — on hopes the US President-elect will push through measures to deregulate cryptocurrencies.On the election campaign trail he pledged to make the United States the “bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world”.The rally in bitcoin came as traders keep track of events in South Korea, after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s dramatic declaration of martial law which was lifted within hours.The nation’s opposition has now pushed for his impeachment, while the defence minister has resigned over the crisis.The upheaval comes as Asia’s number-three economy struggles to gain traction, while worries build on the possible impact of Trump’s presidency as he prepares to reignite his hardball trade policy when he takes power next month.But analysts saw some optimism.”The silver lining we think is that the swift reversal of the martial law underscores the resilience of South Korea’s institutions,” said analysts at BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.”For now, we expect limited implications for the economy and financial markets as the Bank of Korea and the ministry of finance have responded swiftly by reassuring investors,” they said.Trinh Nguyen, senior economist for emerging Asia at Natixis CIB, said the turmoil represented  “a growth shock rather than a sovereign risk”. Seoul’s Kospi fell only slightly in afternoon trade, having finished more than one percent down Wednesday.And the won — which initially hit a two-year low when the crisis erupted — remained at around 1,415 per dollar, slightly up from its levels before the martial law declaration late Tuesday.Investors are also keeping tabs on France after the three-month-old government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier was brought down in a no-confidence vote linked to a controversial budget proposal.The news out of the eurozone’s number-two economy had been expected and the euro saw no major impact, but the move injected fresh uncertainty into an already fraught political situation in France after divisive elections earlier this year.Elsewhere in Asia was mixed as investors struggled to track a record for all three main indexes on Wall Street, where soft data on jobs and services boosted hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut this month.Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Mumbai and Taipei rose but Hong Kong, Wellington, Jakarta and Manila slipped.- Key figures around 0430 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.2 percent at 39,360.72 Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 19,547.01 (break)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,370.18 (break)Seoul – Kospi Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 2,451.41 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0522 from $1.0510 on WednesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2708 from $1.2702Dollar/yen: DOWN at 150.26 yen from 150.56 yen Euro/pound: UP at 82.79 from 82.71 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $68.61 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $72.38 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 45,014.04 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,335.81 (close)

Bitcoin broke $100,000 for the first time Thursday as traders cheered Donald Trump’s decision to pick a crypto fan to head the US securities regulator, reinforcing optimism the new president will push through measures to deregulate the sector.The cryptocurrency soared through the mark to a peak of $103,800, having enjoyed a blistering rally since the November 5 election of Trump, who pledged on the campaign trail to make the United States the “bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world”.The digital unit has jumped more than 50 percent since the tycoon’s poll win — and around 140 percent since the turn of the year.However, the unit’s advance stalled in recent weeks, sitting just below $100,000 as traders awaited new catalysts to buy in.That came with news that Trump has fingered major crypto proponent Paul Atkins to take over as chair of the Securities & Exchange Commission.Atkins, an SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008, founded risk consultancy firm Patomak Global Partners in 2009, whose clients include companies in the banking, trading and cryptocurrency industries.An announcement from the Trump transition team noted that Atkins had been co-chairman of the Digital Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the use of digital assets, since 2017.”Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations,” Trump said in a statement that emphasised Atkins’ commitment to “robust, innovative” capital markets.”He also recognises that digital assets and other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump added.He would replace Gary Gensler, who led a crackdown on the sector after a 2022 market rout. Even so, the SEC this year authorised the trading on the American market of two new financial products allowing a wider public to buy cryptocurrencies, called ETFs.One is backed by the price of bitcoin and the other by ether, the second most popular unit by capitalisation.”Atkins, a conservative legal eagle with a track record of critiquing the SEC’s tough stance on cryptocurrency firms, is expected to steer a more crypto-friendly course,” said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.”This strategic move has electrified the crypto community, fueling investor optimism about a potentially more accommodating regulatory landscape under Atkins’ watch, aligning with broader Republican advocacy for a lenient approach to the flourishing digital asset market.”- Trump’s U-turn -Despite having once branded cryptocurrencies a “scam”, Trump changed his stance and has been a major advocate of the unit during his election campaign.In September, he announced that he, along with his sons and entrepreneurs, would launch a digital currency platform named World Liberty Financial. He has also become a close friend of tycoon Elon Musk, who he said would lead a new US government-efficiency group tasked with cutting federal waste.Musk reportedly spent more than $100 million to help Trump regain the White House, repeatedly boosting his candidacy on his X social media platform.Reacting on X to the news of Bitcoin hitting the $100,000 mark, Musk wrote: “Wow”.”Layer on top expectations he will strip back regulations on the crypto industry and you begin to understand why investors have piled into the digital currency and related stock,” said Dan Coatsworth, an analyst at investment group AJ Bell.Among the measures expected from the sector is the creation of a strategic reserve of bitcoins in the United States, consisting mainly of tokens seized by the courts, which could push other countries to grant more legitimacy to the virtual currency.And Samer Hasn, of XS.com, added that the prospect of relaxed regulation was fuelling “the hope of seeing cryptocurrencies integrate more deeply into the economic life” of the country.Cryptocurrencies have made headlines since their creation, from their extreme volatility to the collapse of several industry giants, foremost among them the FTX exchange platform.Bitcoin was conceived in 2008 by a person or group writing under the name Satoshi Nakamoto.It was pitched as a way to break free of mainstream financial institutions by establishing a decentralised platform for transactions.The digital currency is created — or “mined” — as a reward when powerful computers solve complex problems to validate transactions made on a meddle-proof register known as the blockchain.Bitcoin has long been criticised for being the currency of choice for making untraceable payments on the dark web, the hidden part of the internet used for criminal activities.  The asset has often come under attack for facilitating money laundering and allowing extortion through ransomware attacks.

Equities extended losses in Seoul on Thursday, while the won stabilised as South Korea entered a period of uncertainty with President Yoon Suk Yeol clinging to power after his brief imposition of martial law this week.And Bitcoin broke past the $100,000 mark for the first time Thursday on hopes US President-elect Donald Trump will push through measures to deregulate cryptocurrencies when he takes office next month.The digital unit hit $100,010 in early Asian trade, having enjoyed a blistering rally since the November 5 election of Trump, who pledged on the campaign trail to make the United States the “bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world”.On Wednesday, the crisis in East Asia kicked off a day of high drama, as hours later the three-month-old government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier was brought down in a no-confidence vote linked to a controversial budget proposal.The news out of the eurozone’s number-two economy had been expected and the euro saw no major impact, but the move injected fresh uncertainty into an already fraught political situation in France after divisive elections earlier this year.All eyes in Asia are on Seoul, where the opposition has pushed for Yoon’s impeachment, accusing him of declaring martial law to stop criminal investigations into himself and his family.But while the leader of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) called for the president to resign from the party and stressed he was “not trying to defend the president’s unconstitutional martial law”, a key PPP member vowed all its lawmakers would “stay united” to reject the impeachment motion.Also Thursday, it emerged that Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun had resigned over the issue.The upheaval comes as Asia’s number-three economy struggles to gain traction and worries build on the possible impact of Donald Trump’s presidency as he prepares to reignite his hardball trade policy when he takes power next month.But analysts saw some optimism.”The silver lining we think is that the swift reversal of the martial law underscores the resilience of South Korea’s institutions,” said analysts at BMI, a unit of  Fitch Solutions.”For now, we expect limited implications for the economy and financial markets as the Bank of Korea and the ministry of finance have responded swiftly by reassuring investors.”Notably, the central bank committed to boosting short-term liquidity and enacting measures to stabilise the forex markets, which aligns with our view that risks around the South Korean won should remain contained for now.”And Trinh Nguyen, senior economist for emerging Asia at Natixis CIB, said: “We believe this is a growth shock rather than a sovereign risk given the political reverberation of the martial law, which was short-lived.”The incident shows the strength of Korean institutions that prevented it and will indeed raise the questions of how Yoon will govern (already a lame duck) and whether he can continue to govern (impeachment or resignation very likely).”In early trade, Seoul’s Kospi was down 0.3 percent, having finished more than one percent down Wednesday — itself an improvement on the initial drop.And the won remained at around 1,415 to the dollar, slightly up from its levels before the crisis erupted when it sank about three percent.Elsewhere in Asia was mixed as investors struggled to track a record for all three main indexes on Wall Street, where tech firms led the charge.Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore and Taipei rose but Hong Kong, Shanghai, Wellington and Manila slipped.Oil prices edged up after their gains of around two percent Wednesday that came after Washington sanctioned 35 companies and ships it accused of involvement with Iran’s “shadow fleet” illicitly selling Iranian oil to foreign markets.Major producers at the OPEC+ grouping led by Saudi Arabia and Russia were set to meet Thursday to discuss extending output limits.- Key figures around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 percent at 39,488.51 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.1 percent at 19,521.29Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,362.65Seoul – Kospi Index: DOWN 0.3 percent at 2,457.60 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0513 from $1.0510 on WednesdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2698 from $1.2702Dollar/yen: DOWN at 150.26 yen from 150.56 yen Euro/pound: UP at 82.79 from 82.71 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $68.70 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.2 percent at $72.42 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 45,014.04 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,335.81 (close)