Japan's Sony sees profit grow on demand for games, but quake damage still unclear

TOKYO (AP) — Sony Group Corp. reported a 32% profit growth in the fiscal first quarter Friday while warning of a negative impact from the earthquake that hit southwestern Kumamoto earlier this week.

The Tokyo-based entertainment company said its semiconductor facilities there were affected, and production remained suspended at one, while others were back up.

There was no major damage. However, the impact on Sony’s bottom line was still being assessed, so that was not included in Friday’s results. Before the quake, Sony had said it was on track to report record profit for the fiscal year.

Sony, which makes the PlayStation video game machines, Bravia TVs and “Spider-Man” movies, said net profit for the April-June period rose to 342.2 billion yen ($2 billion) from 259 billion yen. Quarterly sales edged up 8% to 2.84 trillion yen ($17.7 billion).

The 7.1 magnitude quake that struck July 28 in the Kumamoto area in Japan 's southwestern main island of Kyushu caused at least 34 deaths. It also halted operations at factories, left hundreds of homes without electricity, flattened buildings and stopped trains.

Sony’s music business did well in the latest quarter, with both digital streaming and publishing businesses recording healthy results.

Among the top-selling projects for Sony Music for the quarter were releases from Michael Jackson like “Thriller” and “Bad,” which continue to have strong global appeal, as well as more recent recordings from Ella Langley and Bad Bunny.

Sony’s imaging and sensor business saw solid profits and sales. In a separate development, camera lens maker Tamron said this week that it had received an acquisition proposal from ⁠Sony and was reviewing options.

Sony’s video-games division also did well, selling 1.6 million PlayStation 5 machines during the three months, up from 1.5 million units in January-March.

Cumulative PS5 sales are now estimated at more than 93 million machines. Active players total 125 million people, according to Sony.

The film unit did not do as well, partly because there weren’t as many box office releases in the first quarter compared to the same period a year ago. The main release for the latest quarter for its Pictures unit was “The Breadwinner,” directed by Eric Appel about a stay-home dad.

On the positive side, subscribers to Crunchyroll, a Japanese animation streaming service, continued to grow. Licensing revenue from its TV catalog also worked as a plus.

Sony is projecting a 1.2 trillion yen ($7.5 billion) net profit for the full fiscal year, up 17% on year. It expects 12.5 trillion yen ($77.8 billion) in annual sales through the fiscal year ending in March 2027, little changed from the previous year, inching up less than 1%.

Sony Group stock was trading little changed in Tokyo, compared to the previous day, after the earnings results were released.

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FILE - A Sony logo is seen at the headquarters of Sony Corp. in Tokyo on May 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was set to return as the leadoff hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, a day after he wasn't in the lineup because of lingering soreness in his left knee that is keeping him off the mound.

The Dodgers open a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox.

The two-way superstar wanted to play Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, manager Dave Roberts said, but it was the team's decision to rest him. Ohtani told the training staff of renewed soreness after Wednesday night's 4-2 win.

“I appreciate the communication,” Roberts said. “I can’t read minds, the training staff can’t read minds, so just for him to communicate that then allows for us to make a decision.”

Second baseman Tommy Edman went 0 for 3 in Ohtani’s place for the series finale, a 6-2 win.

Ohtani has been dealing with knee soreness since June 11 and hasn't pitched since July 3 while also dealing with a right biceps issue. He skipped the All-Star Game in Philadelphia to stay home and receive a lubricant injection in the knee.

He is still serving as the designated hitter. Ohtani was 5 for 7 combined in his last two games against the Mariners, with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored.

"The last couple days he’s been on base a lot more whereas the last part of the road trip he wasn’t, so there might have been a little something to that,” Roberts said, adding that nothing occurred in the game Wednesday to precipitate Ohtani sitting out the next day.

The Dodgers expect Ohtani to return to pitching this season, but they're not rushing him back to the mound.

“If there was something structural, then we would be much more concerned,” Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, said Wednesday. “The fact that there’s not and the fact that it does keep improving suggests that we’re on the right path.”

For now, the team doesn't have any plans to shut down Ohtani entirely to give him time to recover from his ailments.

"We're talking about this constantly,” Roberts said. “Nothing should be off the table and nothing is set in stone. So I think it’s more of how he feels. With this new information we’ve got to have new conversations.”

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Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts to his RBI double against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) grimaces after hitting a foul ball against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17) scores on an infield hit by Freddie Freeman (5) against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)