TAIWAN’S Foxconn is lowering an offer for loss-making Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. from an initial plan of 489 billion yen (US$4.4 billion), the Yomiuri newspaper reported yesterday.

    The reason behind the move is that Foxconn appears to be concerned about financial risks of potential liabilities at Sharp and its business outlook, according to Yomiuri. The newspaper did not say how much Foxconn will lower the offer to.

    Sharp late last month said it would issue around US$4.4 billion worth of new shares to give Foxconn a two-thirds stake in a deal the Taiwanese company backed out of at the last minute. Foxconn’s total investment was set to total nearly US$6 billion, according to a source.

    Foxconn is seeking guidance from Sharp on its latest quarterly performance as part of its efforts to finalize the planned acquisition, a person familiar with the matter said.(SD-Agencies)