( FOX BUSINESS )- Sharp Corp. is targeting a 17% increase in worldwide liquid crystal display (LCD) television sales in the fiscal year beginning in April, as it steps up marketing of energy efficient models and focuses on growing demand among Chinese consumers, according to reports Wednesday. The Japanese firm is targeting LCD sales of 1 trillion yen ($9.2 billion) in the fiscal period, up from 850 billion yen in sales it is forecasting for the current fiscal year, according to the Nikkei News, which citied comments by Sharp president Mikio Katayama. To help spur sales, Sharp is planning to release a new line of LCD televisions which are 2 cm thick (0.787 inches) and consume about half the power of current models. Shares of Sharp climbed 1.8% in Tokyo trading Wednesday.