Canon Inc. said Monday that net profit rose 18.5 percent to a record 455.3 billion yen in 2006 as sales broke 4 trillion yen for the first time on robust interest in digital cameras and color laser printers and copiers.
For the year to December, operating profit surged 21.3 percent year on year to 707 billion yen on sales of 4.16 trillion yen, up 10.7 percent for the seventh consecutive year of increased profits, the company said.
The camera maker said a weaker yen helped inflate earnings, contributing 78 billion yen to operating profit. Overseas sales accounted for 78 percent of total sales during the period.