Shipments of white goods in Japan reach 24-year high in 2020 amid pandemic
Source: Xinhua | 2021-01-26
Local shipments of household electric appliances in Japan rose to a 24-year high in 2020 as the pandemic saw consumers increase purchases of air purifiers and other appliances as more people worked from home, the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association said Monday.
According to the association, the shipments increased 1.0 percent from the previous year to total 2.5 trillion yen (24.07 billion U.S. dollars) and marking a year-on-year increase for the fifth consecutive year.
The association pointed to the government's pandemic-related cash handout of 100,000 yen to all residents here as contributing to the increase in purchases of home appliances, in twine with increased numbers of people working from home at the request of the government.
Shipments of air purifiers surged by 56.8 percent to hit a record high of 88.8 billion yen, while shipments of electrical appliances used in kitchens including hot plates and toasters also increased notably, the association pointed out.
Shipments of appliances that decreased in the recording period included washing machines, which slipped 0.1 percent to 382.5 billion yen and refrigerators which decreased 2.0 percent to 443.1 billion yen, according to the industry body.
Domestic shipments of household appliances in the month of December, meanwhile, climbed 13.6 percent from a year earlier to 249.6 billion yen, marking the third successive month of increase.
An association official was quoted as saying that "the outlook for overall home appliance shipments is uncertain because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic." (1 U.S. dollar equals 103.81 yen)
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