Sony Corp. said Thursday it has cut its group operating profit estimate for fiscal 2015 by 9.4 percent to ¥290 billion as it booked an impairment charge for the business that makes camera modules used in smartphones.

Given an expected decrease in demand for the parts amid globally slowing growth in the smartphone market, Sony set aside ¥59.6 billion to write down the production facilities and other assets of the division.

The latest operating profit estimate for the fiscal year ended March 31 is down from the ¥320 billion Sony projected in January, but still up sharply from ¥68.5 billion in profit logged in fiscal 2014.

The electronics and entertainment company revised its sales estimate for fiscal 2015 upward by 2.5 percent from the previous estimate to ¥8.1 trillion, and raised its net profit estimate by 3.6 percent to ¥145 billion, given a smaller-than-expected tax burden.

Sony said it is examining the effects on its fiscal 2016 earnings of the series of powerful earthquakes that have hit Kumamoto Prefecture and surrounding areas recently.

Its factory manufacturing image sensors in Kumamoto has suspended operations.