TOKYO - Major Japanese musical instrument makers are overhauling their piano businesses as demand in China plunges following a shift in education policy, seeking growth in other markets or new ways to target young Chinese.
China was once a huge market for piano makers. Many families bought pianos to prepare their children for school entrance exams under a system that awarded extra points to applicants with artistic skills, including piano playing.
But in 2021, the extra-point system was scrapped when China introduced education reforms to ease the burden on children and families, leaving piano makers with an estimated two years' worth of unsold inventory.
Yamaha Corp.'s musical instrument sales in China, including pianos, shrank from 56.8 billion yen ($360 million) in fiscal 2021 to 32.7 billion yen in fiscal 2025. The decline has forced the company to cut production, including by ending piano manufacturing in Indonesia.
Weak Chinese sales have also hurt Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. and Roland Corp.
To attract new customers, Yamaha is introducing its GC series of compact grand pianos in markets outside China. The models perform like standard home-use grand pianos but occupy a smaller space.
Yamaha also expects the smaller models to appeal to Japanese enthusiasts who have given up on owning a grand piano because of limited space at home. The company is also targeting customers in the United States and Europe who want a grand piano in their living rooms.
Meanwhile, Kawai is shifting its focus in China from students and their families to hobbyists, particularly younger people who post videos of their piano performances on social media.
Roland, which specializes in electronic pianos and other digital instruments, sees China's large population of apartment dwellers as an opportunity to capitalize on the space-saving advantages of electronic instruments, so it plans to expand its presence with more affordable models.
