Companies

Casio to Stop Developing New Models of Electronic Dictionaries; Firm Cites More People Using Smartphones, Low Birthrate as Reasons

Courtesy of Casio Computer Co.
Casio Computer Co.’s latest electronic dictionary model

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, February 16, 2025

Casio Computer Co. will no longer develop new models of electronic dictionaries, citing decreasing demand for the products due to more people using smartphones and declining birthrates, the company said Friday.

The company will continue to produce and sell existing models but will significantly downsize its business.

Casio has been performing poorly mainly because its watch sales are sluggish as a result of China’s economic slowdown.

The company will also streamline its electronic musical instrument business by halving the product lineup. It is cutting about 600 employees in the fiscal year ending March as part of structural reforms that began last spring, while also deciding to withdraw from the electronic cash register business.

According to Casio’s consolidated financial results from April to December 2024 that were released Friday, net sales were ¥195.7 billion, down 2.7% from the same period of the previous year, and net income was ¥4.2 billion, down 57.3%.

The number of electronic dictionaries that were shipped in 2023 was 385,000, one-seventh of its peak of 2.805 million units shipped in 2007, according to the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association.