Japan Contiunes to Spend Big on Semiconductor Equipment

Japan's economy is rebounding from difficulties in the late nineties and the early 2000s. According to the Economist, the short-term outlook remains favorable, with real GDP growth forecast at 2.3% in 2007 and averaging 2 percent a year over the next several years. Also, electronic manufacturers in Japan continue to innovate and develop technologies that ever increase the functionality of portable electronic devices.

On the semiconductor equipment front, Japan has been the spending leader for the last five years. The country spent about $31 billion on new equipment from 2003 through 2006, which represents almost a quarter of the world total of $133 billion spent on equipment over the same time period. According to the 2007 Year-End consensus forecast published this month, Japan will spend $8.9B in 2008 and $9.5B in 2009, which means the region will continue to be one of the "biggest spenders."

Japan's growth also continues in semiconductor materials, particularly wafer fabrication materials, which are forecasted to grow about 14 percent from about $6.0 billion this year to $6.8 billion in 2009.

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by Neil DeFalco |  12/14/07