Derivative instruments and hedging activities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Summary of Estimated Fair Values of Outstanding Derivative Instruments

The estimated fair values of Sony’s outstanding derivative instruments are summarized as follows:

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments	Yen in millions
	Balance sheet location	Fair value				Balance sheet location	Fair value
		March 31					March 31
	Asset derivatives	2019		2020		Liability derivatives	2019		2020
Interest rate contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		10		9	Current liabilities: Other		141		183
Interest rate contracts	Other assets: Other		101		27	Liabilities: Other		8,274		8,177
Foreign exchange contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		131		1,799	Current liabilities: Other		42		—
			242		1,835			8,457		8,360
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	Yen in millions
	Balance sheet location	Fair value				Balance sheet location	Fair value
		March 31					March 31
	Asset derivatives	2019		2020		Liability derivatives	2019		2020
Interest rate contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		39		44	Current liabilities: Other		344		200
Interest rate contracts	Other assets: Other		882		1,523	Liabilities: Other		3,637		9,120
Foreign exchange contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		8,807		19,655	Current liabilities: Other		11,549		14,580
Foreign exchange contracts	Other assets: Other		72		49	Liabilities: Other		1,059		1,755
Equity contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		444		18,886	Current liabilities: Other		7,776		1,476
Bond contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		—		306	Current liabilities: Other		—		290
Commodity contracts	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		—		85	Current liabilities: Other		—		85
			10,244		40,548			24,365		27,506
Total derivatives			10,486		42,383			32,822		35,866

Effects of Derivative Instruments on Consolidated Statements of Income and Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

Presented below are the effects of derivative instruments on the consolidated statements of income and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Derivatives under fair value hedging relationships	Yen in millions
	Location of gains or (losses) recognized in income on derivative instruments	Amounts of gains or (losses) recognized in income on derivative instruments
		Fiscal year ended March 31
		2018			2019			2020
Interest rate contracts	Financial services revenue		(52	)		(1,835	)		(3,925	)
Total			(52	)		(1,835	)		(3,925	)

	Yen in millions
Derivatives under cash flow hedging relationships	Fiscal year ended March 31
	2018			2019		2020
	Amounts recognized in unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments in OCI  (before tax)
Foreign exchange contracts:
Components included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness		(2,295	)		2,315		1,712
Components excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness that were recognized based on amortization approach		—			—		1,087
Total		(2,295	)		2,315		2,799

Derivatives under cash flow hedging relationships	Yen in millions
	Affected line item in consolidated statements of income	Fiscal year ended March 31
		2018			2019			2020
		Amounts reclassified from unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments in accumulated OCI (before tax)
Foreign exchange contracts:
Components included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness	Cost of sales		1,111			(1,093	)		—
	Net sales		—			—			106
Components excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness that were recognized based on amortization approach	Net sales		—			—			(1,087	)
Total			1,111			(1,093	)		(981	)
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	Yen in millions
	Location of gains or (losses) recognized in income on derivative instruments	Amounts of gains or (losses) recognized in income on derivative instruments
		Fiscal year ended March 31
		2018			2019			2020
Interest rate contracts	Financial services revenue		(1,544	)		(3,192	)		1,190
Foreign exchange contracts	Financial services revenue		2,013			(8,198	)		2,473
Foreign exchange contracts	Foreign exchange loss, net		21,370			(7,437	)		10,184
Equity contracts	Financial services revenue		(11,665	)		(7,649	)		15,438
Bond contracts	Financial services revenue		—			—			(2,954	)
Commodity contracts	Financial services revenue		—			—			110
Total			10,174			(26,476	)		26,441

Presented below are the amortized cost of hedged items, which are available-for-sale debt securities, and cumulative amount of fair value hedging adjustments to hedged items under fair value hedging relationships as of March 31, 2020.

Derivatives under fair value hedging relationships	Yen in millions
	Balance sheet location of hedged items	March 31, 2020
		Amortized cost		Cumulative effect to carrying amount of hedged items by fair value hedges
Interest rate contracts	Marketable securities		15,255		—
Interest rate contracts	Securities investments and other		91,080		—
Total			106,335		—

Summary of Derivatives Additional Information Including Notional Amounts

The following table summarizes additional information, including notional amounts, for each type of derivative:

	Yen in millions
	March 31, 2019					March 31, 2020
	Notional amount		Fair value			Notional amount		Fair value
Foreign exchange contracts:
Foreign exchange forward contracts		701,880		(304	)		740,464		4,361
Currency option contracts purchased		53,846		179			473		7
Currency option contracts written		58,825		(35	)		460		(5	)
Currency swap agreements		959,777		(5,564	)		893,874		(1,006	)
Other currency contracts		68,513		2,084			62,080		1,811
Interest rate contracts:
Interest rate swap agreements		339,934		(11,346	)		994,133		(16,019	)
Interest rate swaption agreements		5,300		(18	)		18,700		(58	)
Equity contracts:
Equity future contracts		58,725		308			63,354		(871	)
Equity swap agreements		63,107		(7,640	)		103,409		18,281
Bond contracts:
Bond future contracts		—		—			56,546		16
Commodity contracts:
Commodity future contracts		—		—			1,465		0

Summary of Effects of Offsetting Derivative Assets, Derivative Liabilities, Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

	Yen in millions
	As of March 31, 2019
	Gross amounts presented in the consolidated balance sheet		Gross amounts not offset in the consolidated balance sheet that are subject to master netting agreements
			Financial instruments		Cash collateral		Net amounts
Derivative assets subject to master netting agreements		6,855		3,442		136		3,277
Derivative assets not subject to master netting agreements		3,631						3,631
Total assets		10,486		3,442		136		6,908
Derivative liabilities subject to master netting agreements		25,872		3,970		20,191		1,711
Derivative liabilities not subject to master netting agreements		6,950						6,950
Repurchase, securities lending and similar arrangements		432,820		432,820		—		—
Total liabilities		465,642		436,790		20,191		8,661

	Yen in millions
	As of March 31, 2020
	Gross amounts presented in the consolidated balance sheet		Gross amounts not offset in the consolidated balance sheet that are subject to master netting agreements
			Financial instruments		Cash collateral		Net amounts
Derivative assets subject to master netting agreements		38,281		12,614		20,545		5,122
Derivative assets not subject to master netting agreements		4,102						4,102
Total assets		42,383		12,614		20,545		9,224
Derivative liabilities subject to master netting agreements		31,896		7,086		23,873		937
Derivative liabilities not subject to master netting agreements		3,970						3,970
Repurchase, securities lending and similar arrangements		567,194		564,874		—		2,320
Total liabilities		603,060		571,960		23,873		7,227