* Sharp says can't reasonably estimate quake impact
* Q4 operating profit falls 57.7 pct to Y12.4 bln
* SmartEstimate: 2011/12 oper profit seen down 28 pct at Y56.4 bln (Adds details, background)
By Taiga Uranaka
TOKYO, April 27 (Reuters) - Flat TV and solar cell maker Sharp Corp and electronics maker TDK on Wednesday joined a growing list of Japanese firms not giving profit forecasts for this business year as Japan's triple disaster disrupts parts supplies and dampens consumer sentiment.
The sharp drop-off in consumption following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis is set to take a heavy toll on Sharp, which makes about half its sales in Japan.
Sharp, like other manufacturers, has also had trouble securing supplies to keep its factories running. It has suspended output at two LCD plants until early May, partly due to shortages of a gas used in panel production. [ID:nL3E7FB012]
TDK, a maker of capacitors and HDD heads, said it might see a drop in orders as its clients are impacted by supply-chain disruption.
"Given the wide-ranging impact of the earthquake on production and sales, it's very difficult to make a forecast," Sharp Executive Vice President Toshio Adachi said at an earnings briefing.
Sharp, which competes with South Korea's Samsung Electronics and LG Display in LCD panels, posted a 57.7 percent fall in operating profit to 12.4 billion yen ($152 million) for the January-March quarter.
"We saw a sharp fall in sales after the March 11 earthquake," Adachi said.
"We expect tough LCD TV sales in Japan during the second half of this financial year, due to the end of (the government incentive programme) and the termination of analogue broadcasting," he said.
The maker of Aquos LCD TVs had benefited from increased sales in Japan in the past financial year for a wide range of energy-efficient consumer electronics thanks to a Japanese government incentive programme that ended in March.
A leap in domestic TV sales last year, ahead of the switch to digital terrestrial broadcasting in July, will also likely lead to a corresponding drop this year.
For the current year to March 2012, the consensus forecast is for an operating profit of 56.4 billion yen, down 28 percent, in a poll of 22 analysts by Thomson Reuters Starmine SmartEstimate.
"We think there will be a lot of companies that don't release a forecast. It's probably best for companies to be cautious," said Yuuki Sakurai, CEO of Fukoku Capital Management
"If they don't know whether they can get their hands on supplies, it will be hard to return to full production. It's not that we're extremely pessimistic, but there will be a lack of clarity for the next 6 months," he said.
SHIFT TO SMALLER PANELS
Hurt by sharp price falls and fierce competition in large LCD panels, Sharp has been shifting its production focus to small and mid-size panels, as sales of smartphones and tablet computers boom.
Last week the company said it would start production of display panels for use in smartphones at an existing TV panel plant this year. [ID:nL3E7FL13A]
"For small and mid-sized panels, (demand) has recovered since Q2 of last financial year, led by car equipment, smartphones and tablet PCs," Adachi said.
He said the company has begun installing small panel production facilities at its Kameyama No.1 factory in Mie Prefecture. The firm has also said it will start production of smartphone panels alongside TV panels at its Kameyama No.2 factory.
The company announced it has agreed with Sony not to raise Sony's stake in their large LCD panel joint venture.
Sony spent 100 billion yen in 2009 to take a 7 percent stake in the panel production joint venture, and under the original agreement it was to raise the stake to up to 34 percent by the end of this month.
The companies said they plan to continue talks about Sony's stake until the end of March next year. ($1 = 81.515 Japanese Yen) (Additional reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Michael Watson)