Electronic Dictionary Market Shrinking in Japan

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)--Electronic dictionary sales keep falling in Japan amid declining birthrates and widespread use of smartphone apps.

After the first domestically made model was launched in 1979, sales of electronic dictionaries expanded thanks to strong demand for the gadgets as gifts for those starting school or entering the workplace. Their shipments in the country reached 2,805,000 units in 2007, according to the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association.

But since then, the market has constantly shrunk. In 2023, domestic shipments totaled 385,000 units, only one-seventh of the peak.

The diminishing sales forced many manufacturers to pull plug on the market. Sony Corp., now Sony Group Corp., withdrew from the business in 2006, while Citizen Holdings Co., currently Citizen Watch Co., and Seiko Instruments Inc. both terminated production and sales in 2015.

A few remaining players include industry leader Casio Computer Co. and Sharp Corp., the Japanese electronic dictionary pioneer.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]