Toshiba Said to Plan Special Meeting Next Week for JIP-Led Bid

Manuel Baigorri, Taro Fuse and Takako Taniguchi, Bloomberg News

Toshiba Corp. logo at the company's headquarters in Tokyo Japan, on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. The top executive Satoshi Tsunakawa said selling the Japanese conglomerate to a fund and taking it private would be full of drawbacks that he can’t condone, stressing that splitting into two companies is the best plan even as activist investors call for a reopening of talks with private equity buyers. Photographer: Shoko Takayasu/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Toshiba Corp. is planning a special committee meeting next week to discuss the buyout offer led by Japan Industrial Partners Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

The Japanese conglomerate will deliberate about the next steps regarding the JIP-led bid, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. The meeting comes as banks are still considering issuing commitment letters for the financing, the people said.

Discussions are ongoing and the meeting could be delayed or canceled, the people said. A representative for Toshiba said the company can’t comment as it may undermine a fair process.

JIP’s consortium, which is the preferred bidder, has been in talks with banks for lending to fund its proposed takeover of Toshiba, which could value the company at about 2.2 trillion yen ($16.2 billion), Bloomberg News has reported. The bidding group is seeking about 1.2 trillion yen in syndicated loans. Banks including Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. have been considering issuing commitment letters and could make a decision as soon as mid-December, people familiar with the matter have said.

Toshiba’s shares jumped on Friday after Reuters reported that the JIP-led group is closer to getting financing from banks as the lenders have become more confident in the post-acquisition plans. The report, which cited people familiar with the matter, said that banks haven’t decided on how much financing each lender will take on. Toshiba has a market value of about $14.5 billion on Friday.

The potential takeover of one of Japan’s most iconic companies faces headwinds including rising financing costs. Interest rates in many countries have risen sharply and major banks are failing to offload the tens of billions of dollars worth of buyout debt that’s still stuck on their own books.

--With assistance from Tom Redmond.