Panasonic, which runs a hybrid and electric car battery joint venture with Toyota, has secured a controlling stake in rechargeable battery maker Sanyo.

Consumer electronics maker Panasonic Corp., which already has a big chunk of Japan's home appliance market, is accelerating its push into Europe and India by considering local production in those regions to take advantage of lower costs.

Panasonic has introduced its full HD 50-inch 3D PDP TV and will showcase the model at the upcoming Tokyo's CEATEC show.

A new super central processing unit (CPU), jointly developed by Japan's big chipmakers and funded by the Tokyo government, is coming up to challenge Intel.

NEC Electronics, which has inked an integration contract with fellow chip maker Renesas Technology, is eyeing either Toshiba or Panasonic as its partner in developing an advanced semiconductor system, President Junshi Yamaguchi said.

Japan's Panasonic said it aims for double-digit sales growth this business year in the five major emerging markets it focuses on, including China and India, despite an estimated 10% decline in overall revenues.

Sanyo Electric, the rechargeable-battery maker being acquired by Panasonic, forecast an increase in annual operating profit, beating analyst estimates.