Mosquito-catching air purifier causing a buzz

OSAKA, Japan - An air purifier that filters out not only airborne pollutants, but also mosquitoes was released by Sharp and has been selling exceptionally well.

Although the financially troubled company has refrained from running TV commercials for the product, its particular function of sucking in mosquitoes along with pollen and dust has interested many customers. Advance orders for the product were 10 times more than the firm usually receives and it trebled its production from the initial 3,000 units a month.

The model was initially targeted at customers in Southeast Asia where there are many mosquitoes. In Japan, air purifiers sell less once the hay fever season of early spring is over. Sharp decided to reimport the product to prop up its domestic sales in summer.

Called Katori Kusei, the air purifier was released in Japan on April 23 and retails for around 50,000 yen (($469 U.S.) plus tax. The product is equipped with ultraviolet light that lures mosquitoes and an adhesive sheet to trap them.

Katori Kusei was a hot topic online immediately after Sharp announced the product for Japan on March 17.

The firm usually receives up to 200 advance orders for conventional air purifiers, but the number of orders for Katori Kusei had reached 2,300 units the day before its release.

According to Yodobashi Camera Co.'s Umeda Store in Osaka, customers in their 50s and 60s show the most interest in the product.

Katori Kusei's in-store sales display emphasizes the mosquito-catching function, and many customers stop and look out of curiosity.

In response to the popularity, Sharp reinforced assembly lines in its factory in Thailand to boost production.

Another leading home appliance maker downplayed the product's popularity, saying, "It was simply because the release coincided with social anxiety over Zika fever."

Sharp, however, hopes that Katori Kusei will help the firm restore its reputation of creating original products, bringing a resurgence to its bottom line.