TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Shipments of electronic devices in Japan fell 14.6 percent in February from a year earlier to 192 billion yen ($1.95 billion), slipping below a year-before level for the fifth straight month, due to sluggish consumer spending amid the economic slump, an industry report showed Tuesday.
In sync with slumping car sales since last fall, demand for auto-related equipment, including car navigation systems, has been falling markedly, with shipments plunging 44.7 percent to 38.7 billion yen, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association said.
"There remains uncertainty over the future course of the economy, so we are not able to make projections for future shipments," a JEITA official said.
Among such items, however, electronic toll collection system devices fared well, with shipments totaling 447,000 units, up 42 percent thanks partly to substantial discounts on expressway tolls for ETC-equipped vehicles.
Shipments of color televisions rose 13.6 percent to 813,000 units in the month as retailers have cut prices of TVs, the association said.