We can pressure Kirin every day without even leaving our homes. Here’s how to do it.
To recap, Kirin is in joint ventures, Myanmar Breweries and Mandalay Brewery, with the Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), a Burmese military-owned conglomerate. Through its joint ventures, Kirin is legitimizing and funding the Myanmar military as it faces charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Best known for its flagship Kirin Ichiban beer, Kirin is a Japanese conglomerate that owns many other notable beer, spirit, and beverage companies worldwide. Through its Lion Beverages subsidiary, Kirin has been expanding through its acquisition of craft breweries in North America, Europe, and Australasia. Its investment in global brands make Kirin highly vulnerable to our consumer boycotts and social media pressure.
Together, we can use our combined consumer power to force Kirin to end its support of the genocidal Burmese military. Let’s take these steps today – and every day – to put effective pressure on Burma’s army though its business empire.
- Sign and share our petition to Kirin
- Ask restaurants and bars to stop selling Kirin products
- Use your Facebook
- Use your Twitter
- Use your LinkedIn
It’s time to send a message to Kirin Holdings that will reverberate to other Japanese companies and indeed corporations worldwide. The message to these companies is that, by doing business with Burma’s genocidal generals, these corporations are risking their brands, their shareholders, and their customers. There should be no “business as usual” with genocide.
1. Sign and share our petition to Kirin
Have you signed our petition to Kirin? If not, as a first step, please click on this link to sign our petition demanding that Kirin end its business partnership with Burma’s army.
Once you’ve signed, using your email, texts, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media accounts, ask your friends and family to join you in signing the petition. Consider using the message below and adapting it to mention your local Kirin brands.
Please join me in signing this petition to Japanese beverage giant, Kirin, demanding that it end its business partnerships with Myanmar’s genocidal military.
Kirin brands in the U.S. include Kirin Ichiban, San Miguel Brewery, New Belgium Brewery, and Four Roses Bourbon.
Please click on this link to sign the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-kirin-end-your-partnership-with-burmas-army
2. Ask restaurants, bars, and retailers to stop selling Kirin brands
Recently, I visited a restaurant that sold Kirin Ichiban on draft and posted a review on its Facebook page asking it to stop stocking Kirin and its brands.
Ask your favorite restaurants and bars to stop selling all Kirin brands. Whether you order in or dine out, leave a review on their Facebook and Yelp pages as well as sending them a direct message through their website or Facebook page. Consider using this language at the end of your review or message.
May I request that you keep all Kirin products off your menu. I refuse to buy any Kirin drinks (including their other brands such as Kirin Ichiban, San Miguel Brewery, New Belgium Brewing, and Four Roses Bourbon) because Kirin is in business partnerships with Myanmar’s genocidal military. #NoBusinessWithGenocideCheck out the petition below for more details.https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-kirin-end-your-partnership-with-burmas-army/
3. Use your Facebook
Please adapt and share this message on the Facebook pages of Kirin and its brands. Like each of the Facebook pages of Kirin and its many brands. Leave your comment on every post they make.
I refuse to buy your drinks until your owner, Kirin Holdings, ends its business partnerships with Burma’s genocidal military. #NoBusinessWithGenocide
Please read our petition to Kirin. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-kirin-end-your-partnership-with-burmas-army
Use these links below to the Facebook pages of Kirin’s brands. (Please send us any links that we missed!)
New Belgium Brewery (Fort Collins, CO brewery)
New Belgium Brewery (Asheville, NC, brewery)
San Miguel Brewery (Philippines)
Little Creatures Brewing (Australia)
Panhead Custom Ales (New Zealand)
Emerson’s Brewery (New Zealand)
4. Use Your Twitter
Please share this message on Twitter tagging Kirin’s brands.
Please sign this petition & tell Kirin to end its business with #Myanmar army. @rohingya_icr Kirin brands are @4RosesBourbon @newbelgium @BrooklynBrewery @fourpurebrewing @MagicRockBrewCo @tooheys @SpeightsBrewery @panheadbrewery #NoBusinessWithGenocide http://bit.ly/boycott_Kirin
Then go a step further. Follow Kirin’s brands on Twitter and post replies to their tweets.
Kirin Ichiban: @Kirin_Company, @Kirin_Brewery
New Belgium Brewery (US): @newbelgium
Four Roses Bourbon (US): @4RosesBourbon
Brooklyn Brewery (US): @BrooklynBrewery
San Miguel Brewery (Philippines): @BeerSanMiguel_UK
Fourpure Brewing (UK): @fourpurebrewing
Magic Rock Brewing (UK): @MagicRockBrewCo
Tooheys (Australia): @tooheys
Speight’s (Australia): @SpeightsBrewery
Panhead Custom Ales (New Zealand): @panheadbrewery
Emerson’s Brewery (New Zealand): @EmersonsBrewery
5. Use Your LinkedIn
Please adapt and share this message on the LinkedIn pages of Kirin and its brands. Follow each of the LinkedIn pages of Kirin and its many brands. Leave your comment on every post they make. They are very sensitive to the comments you make on their job postings!
In addition, use LinkedIn to search for the employees of Kirin and its brands. Send them connection requests including this message.
I refuse to buy your drinks until your owner, Kirin Holdings, ends its business partnerships with Burma’s genocidal military. For details, check out the International Campaign for the Rohingya boycott petition here: http://bit.ly/boycott_Kirin
Use the links below to the LinkedIn pages of Kirin’s brands. (Please send us any links that we missed!)
San Miguel Brewery (Philippines)
Buy a “Boycott Kirin Ichiban” t-shirt:
Click here to buy a Burma Campaign UK t-shirt, including a “Boycott Kirin Ichiban” shirt.
For Further Reading:
“Justice For Myanmar welcomes Kirin Holdings’ suspension of dividends from their Myanmar military joint ventures,” Justice For Myanmar, 11 November 2020
“Military Ltd,” Amnesty International, September 2020
“Dirty List: Kirin Holdings,” Burma Campaign UK
Kirin Holdings: Group Companies List
Justice for Myanmar – Justice For Myanmar is a campaign to provide a platform for those unjustly persecuted by the Myanmar military – regardless of class, religion, gender or ethnic identity in their efforts to seek justice and end military impunity in Myanmar. The campaign works to expose the Myanmar military’s businesses’ link to human rights violations across the country.
“The economic interests of the Myanmar military,” United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, September 2019
“Japan: Investigate brewer Kirin over payment to Myanmar military amid ethnic cleansing of Rohingya,” Amnesty International, 14 June 2018
“Kirin restructures donation policy after Amnesty report,” Myanmar Times, 11 January 2019
“Japan continues to help Myanmar whitewash the Rohingya crisis,” Teppei Kasai, Japan Times, 25 August 2019
“Resetting Myanmar Policy,” Global Witness, September 2019