Sharp targets 30 pct of Japan's smartphone market

TOKYO Nov 15 (Reuters) - Sharp Corp (6753.T) is aiming to fend off Apple's i-Phone and take more than 30 percent of the domestic smartphone market in the next 2-3 years, with new models including some that provide 3D capability without special glasses.

It would mean sales of about five million units over that time span, the company said on Monday.

"We want to use the shift to smartphones as an opportunity," Masami Ohbatake, general manager of Sharp's information and communication systems division, told a news conference.

Japan's smartphone market is dominated by Apple Inc (AAPL.O), which boasted a more than 60 percent share by unit shipments in the half-year to September, according to research firm MMRI. Sharp lagged in third place with 6.3 percent.

Sharp, a domestic giant with nearly a quarter of Japan's overall phone market, has yet to make a significant impact in foreign cellphone markets. It recently launched two smartphones in China, where its products have an up-market image, Ohbatake said.

Sharp's Galapagos 3D-capable smartphone will go on sale in Japan in early December, the company said. (Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Michael Watson)