Toshiba Corp and Sony Corp are in talks to combine their units that make small and mid-size LCD panels for smartphones and tablet computers, and may sell a stake in the new entity to the Japanese government for about $1.2 billion, industry sources said. The new unit would overtake Sharp Corp as the leading maker of small liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels, the Nikkei business daily reported earlier. The government-backed investment fund Innovation Network Corp of Japan is in discussions with the two firms to invest about 100 billion yen ($1.24 billion) for a stake in the entity, the sources said on Tuesday. Toshiba and Sony will aim to list the joint LCD panel business, the sources added.
Source
