White goods shipments hit 20-year high in 2017

January 25, 2018

Tokyo- White goods shipments in Japan in 2017 grew 2 percent from the previous year to 2,347.9 billion yen, hitting the highest level since 1997, an industry group said Wednesday.

Shipments grew for the second consecutive year, led by the popularity of models featuring high energy efficiency and high-spec products that can help save time for household work, according to the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association.

Air conditioner shipments rose 6.2 percent to 723.2 billion yen thanks to an increase in shipments of models with less power consumption.

Washing machine shipments grew 2.7 percent to 327.7 billion yen, backed by brisk demand for high-priced large-capacity models mainly among dual-income households.

Refrigerator shipments fell 0.8 percent to 423.7 billion yen. By volume, meanwhile, shipments rose 1.5 percent to 3.87 million units on the back of an increase for smaller models.

"Shipments have been robust for both low-priced models with reduced functions and expensive high-spec products," a JEMA official said.

An official of major electronics retailer Bic Camera Inc. said, "An increasing number of consumers are buying good products even if they are expensive."

The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association said the same day that shipments of flat-panel television sets in Japan in 2017 fell 10 percent to 4,272,000 units. Of the total, shipments of superhigh-resolution 4K TVs surged 22.5 percent. Jiji Press