Japanese LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel maker Sharp plans to reduce its output of LCD panels for TVs starting in mid-December, according to a Reuters report on November 14. It is expected that Sharp may slash LCD panel output at its plant in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, by as much as 10% depending on the sales of LCD TVs in the year-end season. Sharp's Kameyama plant currently manufactures 6G and 8G LCD panels.

The plan was revealed in the wake of the recent criminal accusations of price-fixing conspiracies against Korea's LG, Taiwan's CPT, and Sharp in the United States. All three companies agreed to plead guilty and pay a collective fine of US$585 million. Pursuant to the ruling by the US Department of Justice, LG will have to pay US$400 million, Sharp US$120 million, and CPT US$65 million.