Exemode Inc will release a digital camera, a camcorder and a digital photo frame in series under the old famous camera brand name of "Yashica" in Japan from October 2008.
The company, which is engaged in planning and marketing of home appliances, revealed the news to Nikkei Electronics.
Yashica is the brand name that Yashima Seiki Company, which was founded in 1949, previously used. Yashima Seiki made significant achievements including the "Yashica Electro 35," the world's first electromagnetic shutter camera released in 1966. The company was, however, taken over by Kyocera Corp in 1983 due to its unprofitable operation.
After that, Kyocera sold Yashica brand cameras oversea until it quit the Yashica brand silver-salt camera business following its withdrawal from the digital camera business in 2005. JNC Datum Tech International Ltd of Hong Kong currently manages the Yashica brand, plans and sells digital cameras under the brand name since 2006.
Exemode teamed with JNC this time. Licensed the Yashica brand for its products targeting the Japanese market, Exemode agreed to partly use the same component materials as those used in JNC's products when manufacturing cameras, for example.
Exemode is a company engaged in planning and marketing of cameras, DVD players, audio equipment and vacuum cleaners, for example, and its annual sales are roughly ¥3 billion (approx US$28 million, financial results of its parent company KFE Japan Co Ltd).
Nikkei Electronics interviewed Exemode's President Junichi Fujioka about the company's aims of launching Yashica brand cameras.
Q: I thought the Yashica logo suited your cameras better than I would have expected when I saw the prototypes.
Fujioka: Some might consider it's just a brand. However, it's still a strong brand. We began to show the prototypes to some distributors and have received good reputations, hearing some say, "They bring back good memories."
They are considering selling those cameras more positively than we expected. Even major volume camera retailers might deal them at their outlets if things go well. We can probably draw interest from distributors and consumers that have been indifferent to our products thus far.
Q: Are you targeting those products at 40 years and older consumers that are familiar with Yashica?
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