Jul 22 (NHK) - Shipments of large home appliances in Japan rose in June for the first time in nine months. That was largely thanks to government cash handouts to all citizens to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
The Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association says domestic shipments of such products totaled 307.3 billion yen, or about 2.9 billion dollars. That's up 5.8 percent from a year earlier.
It's the first time in 23 years that monthly shipments topped 300 billion yen. Those of air conditioners were up 9.5 percent. Washing machines rose by 4.4 percent.
The association says the government's cash subsidy of about 930 dollars per person played a major role.
It says customer traffic to home appliance stores also picked up after the nationwide state of emergency was lifted in late May.
But it's a different picture for digital appliance shipments.
The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association says domestic shipments of digital home appliances in June came to 106.9 billion yen, or nearly 1 billion dollars. That's a drop of 8.2 percent from a year earlier.
In particular, auto-related devices like navigation systems plunged 19 percent.
The association says the pandemic is weighing heavily on shipments of auto-related digital products.
