Major Japanese optics manufacturer Nikon Corp. aims to rebound from the record net loss it posted last fiscal year by focusing growth on fields such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment and cameras, according to President and CEO Yasuhiro Omura.
The company's consolidated net loss reached 86 billion yen in fiscal 2025 (ended in March 2026), driven by poor performance in its metal 3D printer business.
Omura, who assumed the top post in April, explained how he plans to set priorities in the company's businesses and strengthen its profitability during an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The following is excerpted from the interview.
The Yomiuri Shimbun: What lessons did you learn from your company's previous medium-term business plan covering fiscal 2022 to 2025?
Yasuhiro Omura: We put efforts into every possible field to nurture new businesses, but this resulted in management resources being scattered.
For example, we established a subsidiary for planning and producing video content in April 2022, as we predicted that the environment for shooting films would change because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we had to shut down the company this year on March 31.
In the semiconductor sector, we have promoted research and development on wafer bonding technology, but transferred the project to Screen Holdings Co., a major manufacturer of semiconductor production equipment, in October 2025.
On the other hand, we have now succeeded in finding business areas that will drive growth. We have come to understand what to keep and what to discard. We will focus our efforts in areas where we can leverage our strengths, such as our imaging products business.
We aim to achieve a revenue of 1 trillion yen and an operating profit of 80 billion yen in fiscal 2030.
Yomiuri: What is your strategy for semiconductor lithography systems?
Omura: We see them as a core growth pillar due to projected market expansion. In particular, demand for ArF (argon fluoride) immersion scanners -- which are used in the production of advanced products -- is robust in fields such as data centers and AI. Only Nikon and ASML Holding NV, a Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer, can currently produce the scanners.
Until now, we've focused our efforts on building relationships with major U.S. clients. The problem is that we lack a sufficient track record with other leading semiconductor manufacturers.
These companies are trying to find a trusted alternative supplier, so we are currently in discussions with several of them regarding the introduction of our equipment.
The semiconductor industry is moving toward stacking chips vertically to achieve higher performance. In this environment, the high alignment precision of our semiconductor lithography systems will be a key competitive advantage.
Yomiuri: How does Nikon want to position itself in the camera market?
Omura: Compared to other companies, we were slow to develop mirrorless cameras. However, we were able to catch up as our top-of-the-line Z9 model enjoyed strong sales after its release in 2021.
We are currently applying the Z9 model's technology to our mid-range models. In the still-image camera sector, we intend to continue introducing innovative products to improve profitability.
In the video camera sector, we will strengthen sales of products provided by our U.S. subsidiary, which manufactures professional-grade equipment used for shooting films and other purposes.
By offering cost-effective products, we aim to steadily gain market share among high-end hobbyists passionate about capturing quality footage comparable to Hollywood productions.
Yomiuri: Nikon is conducting space-related projects across various business areas. Could you elaborate?
Omura: Our company has been engaged in the space sector since right after it was founded -- including in the development of astronomical telescopes -- and we want to put more effort into this field. For instance, Nikon cameras such as the D5 and Z9 models are being used in NASA's Artemis program for crewed lunar exploration.
To conduct company-wide efforts in this field, I've designated myself as the "Space Captain." We also expect growth in the manufacturing of aerospace-related parts using metal 3D printers.
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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.
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