Trading house Marubeni Corp. will lead Daiei Inc.'s rehabilitation by acquiring a 33.4 percent stake in the struggling retailer now held by Industrial Revitalization Corp. of Japan, sources said Saturday.
With the deal, which could take place in the next seven days, Marubeni will replace the government-backed turnaround body as Daiei's biggest shareholder with a 44.3 percent stake, the sources said.
The IRCJ is expected to complete its rehabilitation support for Daiei at the end of this year, one year ahead of schedule, paving the way for the agency to be disbanded next spring, according to the sources.