Canon relying on nation to get its flash back, says Yoshioka

Executives at technology companies are working hard to stop revenues from declining sharply as consumers show less willingness to spend on digital gadgets amid the global economic slowdown.

For Tatsuo Yoshioka, vice-president of Canon China, the mission this year is tough: to sell one-fifth more digital cameras in China where the market as a whole is expected to shrink by 3 to 4 percent.

The financial crisis cut Canon's net profit by 37 percent last year. Shrinking profit margins, a stronger yen and plunging demand in mature markets have certainly not helped the world's largest camera maker.