Hitachi Ltd. rebounded to profit in the second quarter from losses a year earlier as the global recovery boosted demand for the company's car parts, computer chips and electronics.

The company, which makes everything from nuclear reactors to home appliances and car engine parts, reported Tuesday it made a net profit of ¥71.9 billion for the July-September quarter, a turnaround from losses of ¥50.5 billion.

Quarterly sales edged up 5 percent to ¥2.35 trillion.

Hitachi joins other major electronics makers in recovering from the plunge their earnings took the previous year. Both Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. reported strong quarterly results last week.

But all three companies, like other exporters, face an uncertain future because of the appreciating yen, which erodes revenue brought back to Japan. Hitachi is expecting the dollar to trade at ¥80 for the second fiscal half through next March. It had estimated the dollar at ¥85 earlier this year.

Hitachi stuck to its forecast for the year through March of a ¥200 billion profit on ¥9.3 trillion in sales. The projection was raised last month despite the risks from the strong yen.

Quarterly sales rose in all major regions, except for Europe, gaining 2 percent in Japan, 3 percent in North America and a solid 22 percent in Asia outside Japan.

Cost cuts and restructuring were also behind the results, according to Hitachi.

The company is hoping to boost competitiveness through what it calls "social innovation" businesses, including data centers, nuclear power plants and railway systems.