The deadline for a crucial capital injection in Sharp from Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision lapsed Tuesday without any deal, with the struggling Japanese electronics giant citing regulatory hurdles. Last year, Sharp announced an investment agreement then valued at about $800 million with Hon Hai, which makes Apple gadgets in China, but the deal stalled as the Japanese firm's share price nosedived. Months of speculation over the fate of the pact followed as cash-strapped Sharp sought out other investors, including US-based chipmaker Qualcomm and South Korean rival Samsung.

Sharp said Tuesday that a capital injection from Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision was off the table, as the deadline passed for a deal seen as crucial for the troubled Japanese electronics giant. Last year, Sharp announced an investment agreement then valued at about $800 million with Hon Hai, which makes Apple gadgets in China, but the deal stalled as the Japanese firm's share price nosedived. pb/hg/ia

Cash-strapped Japanese electronics giant Sharp said Monday that a badly needed capital injection from US chipmaker Qualcomm had been delayed as the two sides hammer out details of the pact. Sharp in December announced it had struck a $120 million deal with Qualcomm as it moves to repair its tattered balance sheet with the agreement calling for joint development of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels for smartphones.

Sharp on Wednesday announced a $111 million capital tie-up deal with South Korean rival Samsung, in a rare move for a Japanese firm that underscores the fading fortunes of its electronics giants. Sharp, which is scrambling to repair its battered balance sheet, said Samsung would buy 10.4 billion yen of new shares, or a three-percent stake in the Japanese firm, making the smartphone and tablet maker its biggest foreign shareholder.