Consumer electronics shipments in Japan leapt 10.8 percent in April from a year earlier to 214.4 billion yen, rising for nine months in a row, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association reported Thursday.
Among three key product categories covered by the group's report, shipments of video and TV sets climbed 15.7 percent to 133.3 billion yen, also up for nine straight months, with flat-screen TVs giving a big boost to the overall sales figure.
Liquid crystal display color TVs with 10-inch or wider screens, for example, registered shipments of 390,000 units, up 26.8 percent, with larger models selling particularly well.
Those of audio equipment slumped 10.3 percent to 21.3 billion yen, declining for two straight months, due in part to poor sales of stereo sets, which plunged 27.5 percent to 140,000 units.
The figure for automobile audiovisual and communications gear turned up 9.7 percent to 59.8 billion yen on the back of brisk navigation system sales, extending the rising streak to 23 months.