A Japanese news outlet says the heavy investments Korea's Samsung and LG are making in the fields of solar cells and lithium-ion batteries are expected to increase the companies’ global market shares.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun daily says Samsung has started operating a solar-cell trial production line and that LG has also increased investments in the area.

The paper said the two companies' global market share for lithium-ion batteries also continues to grow.

According to the paper, the global market share in the area for Japanese manufacturers, including Sony, plunged from 80 percent in 2001 to below 50 percent this year, while Samsung and LG's combined share rose by more than 20 percent from five percent in 2001.