When the Amami island chain was returned to Japan in 1953 and Japan's tax law was applied, there occurred an argument about to treating kokutoshu as shochu by the people including the islanders, because it was not treated as shochu according to the tax law and therefore the tax rate was high.
1953年、奄美諸島の日本返還に伴い日本の税法を適用するにあたり、黒糖酒は酒税法上「焼酎」として扱われず税率が高いことから、「焼酎」扱いを望む島民の要望もあり、取り扱いに関して議論がなされた。