Microsoft targets 1 million Xbox 360 sales in Japan

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Microsoft Corp’s Japanese unit aims to achieve its domestic sales target of one million units for the Xbox 360 video game console as quickly as possible, a senior official said on Friday. Microsoft Co, the U.S. software giant’s unit, hopes to boost sales by leveraging new games and boosting sales promotion efforts, Takashi Sensui, executive officer and chief of the home and entertainment division of the Tokyo-based firm, said.

The Japanese unit has increased sales of the Xbox 360, which lagged behind in the Japanese market, since cutting retail prices in early September. According to Enterbrain Inc., a game magazine publisher, Xbox 360 sales were about 54,000 units in the month, exceeding those of the rival PlayStation 3 of Sony Corp for the first time.

The Xbox 360 now has a sufficient number of games compared with the rival machine, Sensui said. Additionally, Microsoft plans to strengthen its promotional activities, including television advertising, ahead of the year-end holidays, Sensui added.