According to the Japan Semiconductor Equipment Association, April sales of Japanese semiconductor manufacturing equipment decreased by 0.4% from the previous month to 333.944 billion yen ($3.014 billion), the first negative figure in two months. Inventory adjustments continued, especially for memory semiconductors, and it was difficult to predict when the market would bottom out, which had the effect of semiconductor manufacturers restraining investment. The growing sense of a global economic slowdown is also thought to have acted as a headwind.

Demand for power semiconductors used to control current is brisk for EVs, and power semiconductor manufacturers are increasingly willing to invest. However, the ratio of power semiconductors to overall equipment demand was small, and we were unable to completely absorb the drop in demand for memory and other applications.

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