Sales at major retailers of electric home appliances fell 4.7 percent in May from a year earlier to 166.7 billion yen, marking the ninth straight monthly drop, the Nippon Electric Big-Stores Association said Wednesday.
Sales of personal computers fell 19.3 percent to 20.7 billion yen, or 12.44 percent of the total, while those of TVs declined 15.3 percent to 12.9 billion yen, or 7.76 percent of the total, the association said.
TV sales posted a double-digit percentage drop for the first time in 15 months. Sales last year were strong ahead of the World Cup soccer finals.
Sales of DVD players and recorders rose 23.15 percent to 3.8 billion yen, extending their rising streak to 43 months.
Among other products showing gains in sales were digital cameras, whose sales rose 22.1 percent, and air conditioners, whose sales increased 12.9 percent.
Sales of vacuum cleaners were brisk, up 7.6 percent from the previous year.