Japan: Hi-tech toys turn to adults

Faced with declining fertility rates and a rapidly aging nation, Japanese toy makers have learned a serious lesson and the " bloodiest " of life: Every child must be mature.

The industry has "transformed" robots into toys around the world and created "Tamagotchi" loved by children (the electronic pet that the breeder must feed and take care of. This daily carefulness is hoping to increase demand from . adults.

i-SOBOT - the world's smallest 2-legged robot, Tomy.Photo: Reuters .

Speaking at the hi-tech toy industry forum, held in Tokyo on Tuesday, Keita Sato, vice president and chief marketing officer of producer Tomy Co. Ltd., said: " The decline in birth rates in Japan is a big challenge for us ."

Tomy is hoping young people who love technology equipment - known in Japan as "otaku" - will "snatch" their new robot, i-SOBOT. With a pretty small design, this robot can fit in a lunch box for lunch. It is only 165-mm (6.5 inches) tall and weighs 350 grams (12.3 ounces). According to Tomy, this is the smallest two-legged robot in the world.

This is a new version of the massive robot "Omnibot" sold in the 80s. The 2007 version can play drums, dance to music, exercise against push and stand up when falling. At $ 260, Tomy hopes to sell 50,000 i-SOBOT in Japan and 250,000 overseas.

Redefining toys

High-tech toys are focusing on adults in Japan. Source: Reuters . i-SOBOT is the best product in a wide range of products that the company focuses on adult customers. " We plan to promote both high-tech toys for children and products that appeal to adults ," Sato said.

One of the other toys to be noticed is a very small radio controlled radio that can park in small planes, and a device that uses laser light to project animated landscapes to the ceiling. .

" In the pure toy category, I think prospects will remain stable. However, the definition of a toy seems to be changing. So the market does not have to be narrowed down to one group. Mr. Yuta Sakurai, a research analyst on toys for Nomura Securities in Toyko, said.

Until this point, according to information from the Japan Toy Association, the market of this field is still slowly shrinking. The market for toy products, not including software and video-game systems, is estimated at 5.7 billion USD, from 2005 to March 2006, down 5% from the previous 4 years.

Konami Corp. is reversing this trend by focusing on products for unmarried women aged 20 to under 40. " In that sense, we are building a new market beyond from conventional toys, 'said Yoshiaki Komatsu, director of Konami's tastes and toy division.

The company is selling a wide range of colorful household items, from slippers to toothbrushes, CD racks and toilet covers. Konami hopes that young Japanese women will continue to use their goods, even after getting married, and can even introduce the product to their children.

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