The recent big earthquakes that hit the Kumamoto region in Japan have affected the manufacturing operations of many Japanese companies, including Sony. Sony on Monday confirmed that the earthquake of April 14 and subsequent earthquakes in the Kumamoto region forced the company to halt operations in its
Kumamoto Technology Center (located in Kikuchi Gun, Kumamoto Prefecture). The specific plant primarily manufactures image sensors for digital cameras and security cameras as well as micro-display devices.

Sony is currently evaluating the damage to the site's building and manufacturing lines, and with aftershocks continuing, the timeframe for resuming operations has yet to be determined.

Although some of the manufacturing equipment at Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation's Nagasaki Technology Center (located in Isahaya City, Nagasaki Prefecture), which is Sony's main facility for smartphone image sensor production, and Oita Technology Center (located in Oita City, Oita Prefecture), which commenced operations as a wholly-owned facility of Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation on April 1, had been temporarily halted, Sony said that the affected equipment has been restarted and the production has resumed.

Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation's Kagoshima Technology Center (located in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture) has continued its production operations after the earthquakes, and there have been no major effects on its operations.

The Japanese company is evaluating the impact of these events on its consolidated results.