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Packs of Kirin beer packs sitting on shelves at a supermarket in Tokyo, 21 February 2004. Combined domestic shipments of beer and 'happoshu' low-malt beer by Japan's five major brewers fell 9.2 percent in November from a year earlier, posting their third straight monthly drop, according to shipment figures released Thursday. Beer and happoshu shipments by Kirin Brewery Co., Asahi Breweries Ltd., Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Suntory Ltd. and Orion Breweries Ltd. totaled 36.87 million cases. One case holds 12.66 liters, or the equivalent of 20 633-milliliter bottles. The brewers attributed the slide to fewer outings to restaurants and bars due to powerful typhoons and long spells of rain in the reporting month. EPA/ANDY RAIN