Takeshi MIYAHARA Jan 9, 2015:

issuance number I see that information Port City-san provided here as well as in the Lincoln's answer is right. 京酒 in this case is a part of license number and stands for 「京」橋税務署長発行の「酒」類販売業免許. Yo-san, please ignore my suggestion then :) I've also learned from this KudoZ post. Port City-san, thank you :)

Marc Brunet Jan 9, 2015:

Doing it the Japanese way... @Port City-san, thank you for this information. It's interesting! It looks like the way Japan licenses the distribution of alcoholic beverages still takes into account the type of location where the 'grog' is being consumed. However, Japan does it more economically (with 1 single license type) while still effectively protecting 'end' users, wherever they get their 'liquid enjoyment' from. How does this regulatory saving work just as well? Well, its licensing power protects consumers getting their grog from bottle shops or vending machines, while restaurants and sakaya take a meticulous care of their customers as a matter of course, since their overriding need is to protect their names and business licenses at all cost. Isn't that brilliant pragmatism in public health management? :-)

Port City Jan 9, 2015:

https://www.nta.go.jp/shiraberu/senmonjoho/sake/qa/03b/03.ht...
@Lincoln, according to the above, a licence needs to be obtained from a relevant 税務署 under whose territory a liquor shop is located.
@mmb42, according to the above website, restaurants that serve liquor don't need to have a liquor licence. It says 「ただし、酒場、料理店その他酒類を専ら自己の営業場で飲用に供する業を行う場合には、販売業免許は必要ありません。」Only wholesalers and retailers need to have the licence. I didn't know that.

Marc Brunet Jan 9, 2015:

Liquor sale licensing distingos... Regardless of what the term for this liquor is eventually settled for, please note the following:
Liquor licensing requires specifying between "for consumption on/off the premises'. In this case, 酒類販売免許 applies to consumption off the sales premises consumption' condition, and the informal jargon often used for it is : an "off-license".
I guess the alternatives for consumption 'on the premises' are further subdivided into : "BYO license" and "Full license'. Grateful for their Japanese equivalents, Yo-san, if you are familiar with them. Cheerio. :-)

Takeshi MIYAHARA Jan 9, 2015:

Point of question Are you asking what this license overall is, or how to read the part you mentioned?