Semiconductor sales in Japan are expected to decrease by 6% in 2011

Recently, WSTS, the world’s semiconductor market statistics agency, issued a forecast on the semiconductor shipment statistics of the world in 2011. The WSTS report pointed out that global semiconductor shipments in 2011 will reach 314.4 billion US dollars (25 trillion 152 billion yen), an increase of 5%. Affected by the earthquake, Japan's semiconductor shipments will be reduced by 6%.

The WSTS report shows that due to the increasing consumer demand in emerging countries such as China, Brazil, and India, the semiconductor shipments used in related industries such as global communications equipment, home appliances, and automobiles will be significantly increased and will set record highs. Asian semiconductor shipments are expected to increase by 7% year-on-year to US$171.5 billion, while semiconductor shipments in both North American and European markets are up 8% year-on-year.

Due to the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake, many semiconductor factories were forced to suspend production due to the disaster, causing Japan's semiconductor shipments to drop sharply for the second time after the 2008 Lehman shock. A related person from the WSTS Japan Association stated: "The reduction in semiconductor shipments will result in a reduction in production of home appliances in Japan."

The WSTS forecast believes that global semiconductor shipments will continue to grow steadily after 2011, up 8% year-on-year in 2012 and 5% year-on-year in 2013. Japan's semiconductor shipments will also see a growth trend, which is expected to increase by 10% year-on-year in 2012 and by 5% year-on-year in 2013.