New President takes over the realms of Sony

Incoming Sony Corp President Kazuo Hirai told The Yomiuri Shimbun he will make the company’s sluggish TV business, which is expected to log an operating loss for the eighth consecutive year, profitable in two years.

Executive Deputy President Hirai, 51, who takes over as President and Chief Executive officer on April 1, stressed that rebuilding Sony’s TV business will be management’s top priority. Hirai also indicated his desire to expand smartphone development and medical-related businesses of the company.

Sony’s TV business is expected to record its largest-ever operating loss of nearly 3 billionUSD this fiscal year due to sluggish sales and falling prices.

Mr. Hirai says Sony’s smartphone development will accelerate as it will take sole ownership of its joint venture with Sweden’s Ericsson. The company will develop models incorporating Sony’s strengths, such as cameras and games, he added.

Hirai, who has spent a long time in the company’s entertainment division, stressed that Sony is “a company that makes things.” “We will continue to value our manufacturing technology and make products in Japan,” he said, showing his determination to maintain domestic production as much as possible even under the yen’s historic appreciation.