(Reuters) - A senior Sharp Corp executive said the Japanese company was not considering a sale of its ailing display business, after it warned it will likely book its third annual net loss in four years due to weak demand from Chinese smartphone makers.
Sharp announced last week that it expects to book a net loss of 30 billion yen ($256 million) this fiscal year through March compared with a previous forecast of a 30 billion net profit, prompting speculation it may need to reconsider its strategy including a possible sale of the display business.
Sharp Executive Director Kazunori Houshi told reporters in Osaka that it was "not considering the option" of selling the display business and that he believed the downturn in demand from Chinese smartphone makers would be temporary.
(Reporting by Reiji Murai, Writing by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
