Masayoshi Son has a $8.6 billion dilemma on his hands.
His SoftBank Group Corp. is the largest shareholder of Yahoo Japan Corp., controls several board seats and wields more power over the country's most profitable website than anyone. That has been possible because Marissa Mayer's Yahoo Inc., the next biggest shareholder with 35.5 percent, has been happy to leave management to the nation's second-richest man.
Now Yahoo is said to be considering asset sales, including possibly disposing of its $8.6 billion stake in the Japanese portal, which may force Son to spend money to maintain his grip on a company he already effectively controls. Those resources could be better used to shore up his struggling Sprint Corp. or other investments without adding to SoftBank's existing $109.4 billion in long-term liabilities.