This is Muneaki Tokunari, CFO at Nikon Corporation. I do appreciate your precious time despite your busy schedule to attend our financial results briefing today. I would like to explain our financial results and for the third quarter of the year ending March 31, 2023, as well as our outlook for the full year. In the third quarter and our year-to-date, revenue increased by 12.2% and operating profit increased by 7.8% year-on-year. As shown in the lower right of the slide, the effect of yen's depreciation was a major contributor. Profit attributable to owners of parent increased only slightly by 1% due to the impact of the absence of the gain on valuation of investment securities, which was recorded in financial income in the previous fiscal year. Slide four shows the cumulative third quarter results by segment.
As you can see from the percentage change year-on-year shown on the far right, operating profit in the imaging and the healthcare businesses increased substantially more than 2x year-on-year. All businesses except for the precision equipment business posted operating profits higher than the previous year. Now I would like to go through the actual performance using slide five and onward. I will begin with imaging products business. Revenue from imaging products business increased by JPY 48.4 billion year-on-year to JPY 184.4 billion, and operating profit increased by JPY 22.4 billion to JPY 41.2 billion. In addition to the effect of the yen depreciation, average sales and price increase due to the advanced shifting to mid-high-end models for prosumer.
In the area of interchangeable lenses, sales of high-priced lenses for full-frame cameras was strong, contributing to higher revenue and profit despite the declined volume of low-priced lenses. For your information, we achieved much higher results up until the third quarter due to the fact that the planned R&D and other expenses were deferred to the fourth quarter. Slide six shows precision equipment business. Revenue was down JPY 29.4 billion year-on-year to JPY 133.5 billion. Operating profit was JPY 14.6 billion, down JPY 18.8 billion year-on-year. Revenue and profit from FPD lithography and systems declined as units sold fell sharply. This is a sharp contrast to the situation in the previous year when we had installations coming back so rapidly after the big impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
On other hand, sales of semiconductor lithography systems increased compared to the previous year when the investment period of major customers was in the off-season, and both revenue and profit increased. Sales volume fell short of the plan due to the requested postponement coming from our customers, including the lack of utilities. Slide seven on healthcare business. Revenue was JPY 72.1 billion, and the operating profit was JPY 7.2 billion, showing a significant growth year-on-year. Both revenue and operating profit reached record highs, and operating margin was in the 10% range. This was due to the strong sales of biological microscopes and retinal diagnostics imaging systems, mainly in North America, as well as the positive impact coming from the cheaper yen. Slide eight shows component business.
With the revenues being JPY 38.1 billion and operating profit being JPY 13.3 billion, this segment also posted a growth both in revenue and in profit. In addition to EUV related components, semiconductor related products such as optical parts and optical components, as well as encoders and the photomask substrates for FPD expanded, and operating profit margin remained in the 30% range. Slide nine shows industrial metrology and others. Revenue was JPY 27.8 billion, and operating profit was JPY 2.4 billion, showing growth both in revenue and profit. In the industrial metrology business, we had rather strong sales of video measuring systems and industrial microscopies. Next, I would like to now explain our full year forecast. Please refer to slide 11.
First of all, the exchange rate assumptions shown in the second row from the bottom are JPY 130 to the US dollar and JPY 135 to EUR for the fourth quarter. I will explain our full year earnings forecast based upon these exchange rate assumptions. At the top, we have revised down our full year revenue forecast by JPY 15 billion from the previous forecast to JPY 630 billion. Operating profit is unchanged from the previous forecast at JPY 55 billion. Profit attributable to owners of parent is also unchanged from the previous forecast of JPY 42 billion. Next, as for shareholder returns, the annual dividend remains JPY 40 per share, unchanged from the previous forecast. Regarding the share buybacks, we have repurchased 17.56 million shares for JPY 24.9 billion.
As of the end of January, we will continue our buyback operations up to the maximum of JPY 30 billion through March 24th this year. As mentioned in the topic section, following the completion of the tender offer for shares of SLM Solutions, the company became our consolidated subsidiary as of January. We are now presenting our full year forecast, including the impact of this acquisition. Please refer to slide 12. This table shows the main numbers of the full year forecast, including comparisons vis-à-vis the year-on-year and the previous forecast. I have already explained the outline. Slide 13 shows the full year forecast by segment, along with year-on-year and the previous forecast comparisons. I will go through details segment by segment. First, imaging products business. As the market scale is recovering, we will continue our strategy of improving profitability, focusing on mid-high-end cameras.
We maintain our previous forecast of 700,000 units for interchangeable lenses for digital cameras. On the other hand, sales of interchangeable lenses are expected to be lowered by 100,000 units to 1.15 million units due to the weaker than planned sales of low unit price single focal length lenses. The average sales and prices are steadily rising, especially for mirrorless cameras and the interchangeable lenses, and revenue is expected to be JPY 230 billion, up JPY 51.8 billion year-on-year, with no change from the previous forecast. Operating profit is expected to be JPY 42 billion, up JPY 9 billion from the previous forecast based on the results through the third quarter. We are now revising up JPY 9 billion from the previous forecast to JPY 42 billion, a significant increase as much as 2.2x .
Slide 15 shows precision equipment business, revenue being JPY 210 billion, down JPY 20 billion from the previous forecast. In FPD lithography systems, due to the impact of the rapid expansion of COVID-19 infection in China for a certain period of time, the completion of installation of one unit for large panels has been postponed to the next fiscal year, starting from April, and the annual sales volume is now expected to be 29 units. The FPD lithography systems market is expected to bottom out in the next fiscal year due to the slowdown investment by customers and deferred installations in response to the sluggish panel demand, and we believe it will start to recover in 2024 and beyond. In the semiconductor lithography systems market, installation of 11 units is expected to be postponed to the next fiscal year by the request of our customers.
This is due to the delays in the readiness among some customers due to labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, material shortages, and other factors. In light of these factors, we have lowered our full year revenue forecast by JPY 20 billion for precision equipment business as a whole. Operating profit has also been lowered by JPY 6 billion from the previous forecast to JPY 24 billion, reflecting FPD lithography systems and the semiconductor lithography systems being postponed till the next fiscal year. We have assumed since a year ago when we formulated the medium-term management plan that the bottom of the precision equipment business would be reached in the next fiscal year, starting from April, due to the supply-demand cycle. We now expect the bottom to be much deeper than we had expected, particularly in the FPD lithography business.
On the other hand, there are some results that will lead to a better future. For example, more than 80% of sales of ArF lithography systems in the semiconductor lithography business were previously concentrated in one major customer in North America. Our efforts over the past several years to diversify our customer base have borne fruit, and this fiscal year, we expect sales volume from customers other than this major customer to exceed half of our total sales. We believe that the fact that our customers are diversifying into other Asian countries will help stabilize the profitability of our precision equipment business in the future. Please see slide 16. Revenue from healthcare business is expected to be JPY 93 billion, up JPY 19.8 billion year-on-year, no change from the previous forecast.
Operating profit is also expected to increase by JPY 3.7 billion year-on-year to JPY 8 billion, in line with the previous forecast. Sales of both biological microscopes and retinal diagnostics imaging systems have been rather favorable on the back of strong orders. The risk in the healthcare business is parts procurement. Although there is an improvement trend, we will continue to monitor the situation closely from the fourth quarter onward and strive to ensure the stable supply of products. Slide 17 shows the outlook for the components business. Revenue is expected to increase significantly to JPY 53 billion, up JPY 12.2 billion year-on-year, with no change from the previous forecast. Operating profit is also expected to increase by JPY 5.3 billion, unchanged from the previous forecast.
Solid sales are expected for EUV-related components, optical parts and optical components for semiconductor-related products, encoders, and photomask substrate for FPD are expected. Slide 18 shows the forecast for industrial, metrology, and others. Others includes production subsidiaries and others. Revenue in this business segment is expected to be JPY 44 billion, an upward revision of JPY 5 billion from the previous forecast, and operating profit is expected to be JPY 3.5 billion, a downward revision of JPY 1 billion from the previous forecast. The estimated impact of the consolidation of SLM Solutions from January to March is reflected in this latest forecast. SLM Solutions has been performing well, with an EBITDA expected to be positive for the last three consecutive quarters, excluding one-time M&A related expenses.
Nikon intends to develop the materials and processing business as the next pillar for Nikon's growth strategy, centering around SLM Solutions. That is all for the explanation of our business performance and the numbers. Today, as Nikon's director in charge of sustainability, I would like to briefly report to our shareholders and investors on the current status of ESG and the sustainability of Nikon Corporation. In fact, Nikon sustainability activities have been highly evaluated by third-party organizations, surpassing those of other companies in our industry. For example, Nikon has been selected for the A list in the climate change survey by the nonprofit organization CDP for four consecutive years since FY 2019. In the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, one of the world's leading ESG investment indices, Nikon has been selected as a component of the DJSI World and the DJSI Asia Pacific for the five consecutive years.
In particular, this year, Nikon received the number one score in the entire world for the industry group to which Nikon belongs. In addition, Nikon shares are included in all the five of the GPIF's ESG investment indices, including the Japan Empowering Women Index and the Carbon Efficient Index. Behind this high valuations are our steady and persistent efforts to respond to society's expectations with trust in the area of the environment, social and labor affairs and governance, and we are getting results, if I may say so. In the current midterm management plan, we will also now take on the challenge of contributing to a sustainable society through creativity by leveraging our light utilizing and precision technologies.
The recently announced Green Jet initiative for Boeing 787 to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by applying a shark skin finish to the surface of its aircraft is just one example. By solving our social and environmental issues with our optics and precision technologies, we hope to contribute to realize a sustainable society. At the same time, we would like to enhance the sustainability of Nikon as a company. Finally, I would like to say a few words in summary. Our business performance up to the third quarter has been favorable in terms of both operating profit and profit attributable to owners of parent.
In the fourth quarter, we have not changed our previous forecast of JPY 55 billion for operating profit due to the R&D expenses to be incurred in the imaging and the risk of lithography systems currently under installations to be postponed till to the next fiscal year in precision equipment business. Over the next fiscal year, there are risk factors such as concerns about economic recession, the impact of inflation, and the reduced effect of the Yen's depreciation, as well as uncertainty in the FPD panel market. That said, Nikon has been transformed into a much more resilient corporate entity than in the past. In other words, the imaging business is steadily growing in the mid-high and mirrorless market. The precision equipment business is diversifying its customers, particularly in semiconductor business.
Businesses other than imaging and precision equipment, such as the component business, which is expected to generate JPY 18 billion in operating profit, and the healthcare business, which is expected to generate JPY 8 billion in operating profit, are firmly growing as our earnings pillars. Nikon will aim for the further growth in the next fiscal year, including the launch of digital manufacturing business centered around the acquired SLM Solutions. We'd like to ask for the continued understanding and support of our shareholders and investors.