Toshiba has narrowed the number of bidders for its semiconductor business from about 10 interested parties to a smaller group that includes Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry and Korea's SK Hynix, according to people familiar with the matter.

The complaint specifically refers to Toshiba flash memory chips and products containing such chips-including memory cards, solid-state drives, wearable devices, digital camcorders, mobile devices, advanced audiovisual systems, car navigation systems, computers, servers, and other consumer electronic devices-as infringing products.

US-based private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners and US-based chipmaker Broadcom apparently tendered a roughly JPY2 trillion (US$17.9 billion) bid. That is on the high end of estimates of the memory business' value.

Toshiba shareholders agreed to split off its prized NAND flash memory unit on Thursday, paving the way for a sale to raise at least $9 billion to cover US nuclear unit charges that threaten the conglomerate's future.

Toshiba's plan to divest its memory chip business has Japanese corporate leaders worried that critical information technology could leak to foreign companies - particularly those in China.

The US firm has struggled with hefty losses that have thrown its Japanese parent into a crisis, putting the conglomerate's future at risk.

The government is considering urging struggling Toshiba not to sell its semiconductor business to a Chinese or Taiwanese company, sources said March 22.

The Japanese government said it was not considering steps to support embattled Toshiba and will share information with Washington on developments involving the firm and its US nuclear unit Westinghouse.

Japan's crisis-racked Toshiba has offered shares in its memory chip unit to creditors as collateral to secure debt refinancing, people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday.

The Japanese government, fretting over the future of Toshiba's flagship memory chips unit, is prepared to block a sale to bidders it deems a risk to national security, sources said, a stance that gives US suitors a major advantage.

Shares in Toshiba Tec rose more than 6% in early Monday trading after a report that Toshiba, the parent, is considering selling shares in the company.

As major player Toshiba's flash memory business is up for sale, global chipmakers are weighing their chances of competing against Samsung, which has a runaway lead in 3D NAND flash technology.

Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker, is not a favored bidder for Toshiba's memory chip business due to its close ties with China, sources with direct knowledge of the deal said.

In an attempt to regain its mojo, Toshiba will double down on traditional products that are seen as part of promising growth segments.

Industry watchers predicted SK Hynix may join hands with Taiwanese company Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, to acquire Toshiba's chip business. Foxconn's Chairman Terry Gou has been "very serious" about bidding for Toshiba's memory chip business.

Toshiba wants to pick the preferred bidder or bidders for a majority stake in its chip unit by the end of May and will hold the first round of bids next month, a source with knowledge of the plan said.

Toshiba has asked potential bidders for its memory chip business to peg the operations' value at JPY2 trillion (US$17.6 billion) or more, aiming to maximize income from the sale of its crown jewel.

Toshiba is looking to raise at least JPY1 trillion (US$8.8 billion) from the sale of its memory chip business and will aim to complete the transaction by March 2018, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Toshiba may delay the sale of its prized flash-memory chip unit after the conglomerate said it would consider selling most, even all, of the marquee business, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.

After a day of delays and confusion, Japan's Toshiba said on Tuesday it expected to book a $6.3 billion hit to its US nuclear unit, a writedown that wipes out its shareholder equity and will drag the group to a full-year loss.

Toshiba has delayed its earnings announcement, planned for Tuesday, after it was not able to immediately secure the approval of its auditor, a source briefed on the matter said.

Toshiba wants investment funds including Bain Capital to buy a stake in its flash memory business rather than industry peers such as Micron Technology because doing so will speed up the planned sale, a source said.

Toshiba has received bids from South Korea's SK Hynix, Taiwan's Foxconn, private equity fund Silver Lake and at least three other groups for a minority stake in its profitable memory chip business, according to people close to the negotiations.

South Korea's SK Hynix has entered the running for a stake in Toshiba's memory chip business, seeing an opportunity to gain on rivals in the booming NAND market, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Business weekly Toyo Keizai reported that Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer, is interested in either taking a stake in or buying some of Toshiba's businesses.

Toshiba said it will sell a minority stake in its memory chip business as it urgently seeks funds to offset an imminent multi-billion dollar writedown, adding that its overseas nuclear division-the cause of its woes-was now under review.

Toshiba is expected to sell no more than 19.9% of the unit to be created in a spinoff of its memory chip operations.

Last week, Toshiba confirmed that it's looking to spin off its core semiconductor business. Toshiba's chip division includes its lucrative NAND memory business, which generated 15% of the group's JPY5.7 trillion annual revenue (about $50 billion), and has an estimated value of about JPY1.5 trillion (about $13 billion).

Four foreign investment funds have reportedly offered to take a stake in Toshiba's memory chip operations should the Japanese electronics giant spin off the business.

Toshiba is looking to sell a minority stake in its core semiconductor business to Western Digital, a source said, in a bid to dull the blow from a looming multi-billion-dollar writedown on a US nuclear acquisition.

The sell-off of Toshiba shares continues following news that the Japanese electronics maker could write down US nuclear assets by several billion dollars - a strong blow the company's fragile finances could have difficulty handling, investors fear.

Toshiba raised its forecast for first-half operating profit by 36% to JPY95 billion (US$906 million), crediting growth in memory chips and hard disk drives, as well as cost-cutting measures.

Japan's Toshiba expects to post a bigger first-half profit than it previously forecast, boosted by rising flash memory chip prices and strong chip demand from Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

Toshiba on Friday said extensive restructuring helped the Japanese conglomerate swing to its first operating profit in six quarters, signaling recovery from a $1.3 billion accounting scandal that unmasked underperforming operations.

Toshiba is planning to start the manufacturing of the world's first 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips in the third quarter of 2016 with Samsung Electronics being expected to release the same type of products in the following quarter.

Toshiba and US partner Western Digital will commit 1.5 trillion yen or US$14.6 billion over three years toward stepping up flash memory production at their jointly run Japanese plant, in a bid to widen global market share, Nikkei reported.

Japan's Toshiba plans to more than halve its capital base, a move that may enable it to resume paying dividends quicker and get a fresh capital injection as it aims to recover from a $1.3 billion accounting scandal last year.

Toshiba posted a wider-than-forecast operating loss after the troubled electronics conglomerate wrote down the value of its Westinghouse power unit.

Toshiba said Friday that it has cut 14,450 jobs worldwide, roughly 30% more than planned, as it struggles to get back on its feet following a damaging book-cooking scandal.

Canon Inc. agreed to buy Toshiba Corp.'s medical equipment unit for 665.5 billion yen (US$5.9 billion) as the world's biggest maker of cameras seeks new growth. Canon is buying a business that makes diagnostic imaging systems such as MRI, X-ray and ultrasound equipment. It would also take the company into competition with General Electric, Royal Philips NV and Siemens AG for MRI machines that typically cost more than US$100,000 each.