The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association published on August 18 the domestic shipment volume of mobile phones in the first half of 2008, which dropped 5.2% year-on-year to about 24.92 million units, Kyodo News reported. Said figure signals the second consecutive decline for the same period, with the decline rate expanding from 0.7% a year earlier, though.

In June, however, the Japanese mobile phone market saw a 2.1% rebound in shipment volume, driven by the growth momentum of popular 1seg phones. Of the overall mobile phone users in Japan, share of 1seg phone owners rose to 73.5% in the first half, surpassing 70% for the first time. Meanwhile, domestic shipment volume of PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) phones, unrepresented in the statistics above, reported 24.7% growth in the first half, topping 1.07 million units.