
Sony sees profits flat this year
FILE PHOTO: The Sony logo is displayed outside the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
TOKYO (Reuters) -Sony said on Wednesday it expects operating profit to rise 0.3% to 1.28 trillion yen ($8.70 billion) in the financial year ending in March.
The Japanese conglomerate has transformed from a maker of household electronics such as the Walkman to an entertainment behemoth spanning games, movies, music and chips.
President Hiroki Totoki has strengthened his grip over the conglomerate, taking the CEO role last month.
Sony is preparing for a partial spin-off of its financial unit as it focuses on entertainment.
Including the financial business, operating profit rose 16% to 1.4 trillion yen, beating analyst estimates.
The conglomerate is grappling with the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war.
Last month Sony raised PlayStation 5 prices in Europe and Britain last month, citing higher inflation and exchange rate fluctuations.
($1 = 147.1900 yen)
(Reporting by Sam Nussey; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
33 minutes ago
- The Star
'Karma: The Dark World': Trust no one in 1980s East Germany
The 'Karma' version of East Germany feels real and surreal at the same time. — Wired Productions/dpa BERLIN: Karma: The Dark World is a psychological thriller set in East Germany in 1984, now out for PS5, Xbox and Steam. In this horror game the Leviathan Corporation brings to life an alternate version of this surveillance state, one where control is exercised through a class system and mind-altering drugs. And one where you can't trust anyone, not even yourself. Players slip into the role of Daniel McGovern, an investigator in the so-called Thought Office of the Leviathan Corporation. To solve crimes, you naturally also rely on traditional methods: such as analysing evidence at crime scenes or interviewing witnesses and suspects. Retro aesthetics, strange technology and state surveillance is everywhere this version of 1984 East Germany. — Wired Productions/dpa But there's also a special investigative method: a journey into the consciousness of the accused. However, there's a problem: the mind doesn't always reflect reality. Events are influenced by emotions and things get mixed up. This complicates the search for the truth. The game not only impresses with its storytelling, but also with its detailed visuals, which convey an oppressive, dystopian world. From gloomy alleys to surreal landscapes of consciousness, everything is convincingly portrayed. The year the game's set in is, of course, no coincidence. The game is inspired by George Orwell's novel 1984 , but also by the filmmaking techniques of game developer Hideo Kojima and the narrative style of director David Lynch. Karma: The Dark World is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Series X/S consoles, as well as on Steam for around €25/$25. – dpa

The Star
36 minutes ago
- The Star
Border under close watch
Tensions high: Royalist activists protesting in front of the Cambodian embassy following a clash at the Thailand-Cambodia border in Bangkok. The countries are set to hold talks at a Joint Boundary Commission meeting on June 14 in Phnom Penh. — Reuters The kingdom's top army official designated commanders of two task forces to oversee border crossings with Cambodia as tensions simmer following a skirmish in late May. Effective from Saturday, the Burapha and Suranaree task forces have been authorised to determine necessary measures at border checkpoints, according to a statement signed by Army Chief Pana Claewplodtook. The nations are looking to defuse tensions following an exchange of gunfire between troops on May 28 in the disputed Chong Bok border region, which resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier. The countries are set to hold talks at a Joint Boundary Commission meeting on June 14 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. While the task forces must consider the needs of trade and daily lives of the local populations of both countries, 'they may order the closing or opening of any or all border checkpoints under any conditions or time frame deemed appropriate' to protect Thailand's sovereignty, the army said in its statement. The move follows comments from Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai that border tensions have been exacerbated by Cambodia's reinforcement of its military presence. As a result, Thailand has 'deemed it necessary to implement additional measures and to reinforce our military posture accordingly,' he said. Meanwhile, two border checkpoints in Thailand's eastern Chanthaburi province have been ordered to close temporarily for tourists by a commander of the provincial marine corps task force, The Nation reported on Saturday. The order cites an announcement of martial law in some parts of the province due to the security threat from Cambodia. Still, Cambodian migrant workers employed in Thailand are exempt, and cross-border trade will continue as usual, according to The Nation. Cross-border trade and customs activity remains operational as usual in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thai Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said in a post on X. The Finance Ministry has prepared fiscal measures for all circumstances, he said. — Bloomberg


The Star
37 minutes ago
- The Star
No longer a luxury but a necessity
Aarti Verma is about to join the growing ranks of Indians installing air conditioning, scraping together savings to secure relief from sometimes deadly temperatures that can reach nearly 50˚C. A record 14 million AC units were sold in India last year, with a ninefold increase in residential ownership forecast by mid-century. That will give millions safer and more comfortable conditions at work and home. But it will also drive demand for electricity that is generated mostly by burning climate-warming coal, and increase the hot AC exhaust air expelled into the country's stifling streets. For Verma, the priority is securing some immediate relief. Her sales and marketing work means she must visit multiple stores a day, battling blazing heat. 'Coming home after a long day I want some comfort,' said the 25-year-old, who earns 30,000 rupees (RM1,500) a month and will pay 50,000 rupees (RM2,500) to install air conditioning in her spartan two-room home. 'Earlier I would sleep on the terrace, but these days it's so hot even in the night, AC has become a necessity,' she said in a poor neighbourhood of the capital Delhi. India is the world's fastest-growing AC market, despite only about 7% of households currently owning units. The boom could mean the world's most populous country needs to triple electricity production to meet demand, experts say. A customer carrying an umbrella as he visits a shop selling air coolers on a hot summer afternoon, at a market in Rawalpindi on May 30, 2024, amid the heatwave. — AFP The nation of 1.4 billion people is already the world's third-biggest producer of climate-warming greenhouse gases, burning through one billion tonnes of coal in 2024-25, according to a government statement. 'AC penetration across India is primarily driven by weather conditions, a growing middle class, favourable consumer financing options and widespread electrification,' said KJ Jawa, the India chief of Japanese AC manufacturer Daikin. He said that ACs are no longer regarded as a luxury indulgence, but as essential investments. Verma had to pay 13,000 rupees (RM657) as a down payment, with the rest divided over monthly instalments. 'I could have bought gold with that money which would have been a good investment but I gave priority to the AC,' she said. According to the meteorological department, 2024 was India's hottest year since thorough records began in 1901, with sizzling temperatures following a global pattern of extreme weather driven by climate change. A heatwave in May 2024 in New Delhi saw temperatures match the capital's previous record high: 49.2˚C clocked in 2022. The brutal summer heat can melt tarmac on the roads and puts millions of people at risk, with nearly 11,000 people dying due to heat stroke in India between 2012 and 2021, according to government data. Public health experts say the true number of heat-related deaths is likely in the thousands but because heat is often not listed as a reason on a death certificate, many casualties don't get counted in official figures. Ironically, the refrigerants inside AC units and the coal-generated electricity that powers them only exacerbate global warming. Widespread AC use also raises outdoor temperatures by expelling indoor heat. Verma cleaning an air conditioner installed inside her house in New Delhi. — AFP Studies – including by the World Health Organisation and UN-Habitat – show that the heat-generating motors inside AC units can themselves push up temperatures in urban areas by a degree Celsius or more. Before buying an AC, Verma relied on a traditional air cooler – a noisy fan-run device that blows cool air off water-soaked pads. But filling the cooler with water and making sure it did not become a haven for disease-carrying mosquitoes required great effort. Sales are brisk at Imperial Refrigeration in Delhi's old quarters, with a steady stream of customers braving the afternoon heat. Japsahib Singh Ahuja, 22, whose family owns the 50-year-old business, said sales have more than tripled in the last five years, thanks to first-time consumers and AC 'replacement cycles'. 'ACs these days don't last long, because there are so many pollutants in Delhi air that lead to corrosion and gas leakage from the equipment,' he explained. Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently top world rankings for air pollution. Air conditioning will account for a quarter of India's emissions and nearly half nationwide peak electricity demand by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme's Cool Coalition. But India has so far declined to sign up to the coalition's Global Cooling Pledge to reduce the sector's climate impact. Still, there are signs of hope, with Indians increasingly buying energy-efficient AC units, according to Ahuja. Energy-saving inverter ACs now dominate the market, and companies set a default temperature of 24˚C. 'Energy ratings are now mandatory,' said Ahuja. 'We will surely see long-term benefits.' — AFP