TOSHIBA AND US PARTNER AT LOGGERHEADS|合作夥伴威騰提仲裁 東芝售半導體受阻

Toshiba is seeking to spin off part of its profitable memory-chip business in an effort to bolster its finances, but the deal has faced resistance from its partner.The American storage manufacturer Western Digital, who is also a part-owner of a Toshiba semiconductor factory in Japan , tried to block the sale by taking Toshiba to an arbitration court. The whole process can take up to 2 years, and many are wondering if the ailing Toshiba can wait that long. With its finances ailing due to losses in the US nuclear power sector, Toshiba recently decided to spin off and sell its memory-chip business to raise capital. This has caused consternation in Western Digital, Toshiba's US-based memory-chip partner. Western Digital said that Toshiba has violated the terms of the two companies' joint venture agreement and demanded that Toshiba sell the business only with Western Digital's approval. ==MAYUKO WAKUDA NHK anchor== Toshiba asserts that Western Digital's claim is a baseless interference in their decision to sell the memory chip business, and has expressed its disagreement in writing. Western Digital has now filed for binding arbitration with the International Court of Arbitration, demanding that Toshiba refrain from selling the joint venture without Western Digital's consent. If the court agrees to hear the case, it may take over a year to resolve the dispute. This will affect Toshiba's plans. ==STEVEN MILLIGAN CEO, Western Digital== The reality of it is, is that we have this joint venture. The joint venture has certain contractual obligations and commitments, if you want to call it legal obligations. And we want to be treated fairly. And that's it. Japanese media said that the Japanese government is concerned about Chinese and Taiwanese companies becoming the new owners Toshiba's semiconductor technologies, so its preferred buyer would be a Japanese-American consortium led by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, a public-private partnership. It called on Western Digital to join the consortium, but Western Digital wanted to enter independent negotiations with Toshiba, which have so far been unfruitful. Toshiba also announced on the 15th that it will delay the release of its fiscal year 2016 earnings report. It is projecting a loss of 950 billion yen, or NT$255 billion. Toshiba President Satoshi Tsunakawa held a press conference apologizing to stockholders and saying that Western Digital had no basis to stop the sale of the chip business. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 為了解決資金問題，日本東芝企業計劃出售半導體事業，現在卻頻頻受阻。東芝在美國的合作夥伴"威騰"，在15號凌晨，向國際仲裁法庭申請仲裁程序，要求東芝還沒獲得威騰同意前，不得將雙方出資合作的半導體事業，轉為獨立的東芝記憶體公司並出售。 受到美國核電事業虧損連累，東芝企業日前決定將旗下記憶體事業，拆分出售解決資金問題。原本東芝只打算出售不到2成的股權，但後來改成5成以上，讓跟東芝合作，在日本三重四日市建立了"晟碟"記憶體工廠的美國企業"威騰電子"很不滿，認為東芝違反合資契約，要求東芝必須在獲得威騰同意，才能出售。 ==NHK主播 和久田麻由子== 對此 東芝認為威騰電子的主張 是妨礙他們出售記憶體事業的行為 已將反駁書信送交威騰 眼看阻止無效，威騰再出招，在美國當地14號，向國際仲裁法庭，申請仲裁程序，要求東芝還沒獲得威騰同意前，不得將雙方出資合作的半導體事業出售。一但國際仲裁法庭受理，要釐清爭議，至少得花一年以上時間，勢必影響東芝出售記憶體事業進度。 ==威騰電子執行長 史蒂夫米利根== 我們跟東芝的合作事業 在契約上是要擔起一定的責任 跟法律上的義務 我們所訴求的只是要求公平對待 日本媒體分析，由於日本經濟產業省，憂心東芝的半導體技術，外流到中國、台灣，傾向出售給日本官民基金"產業革新機構"INCJ為主的美日聯盟企業，也曾呼籲威騰參與，但威騰電子主張單獨與東芝交涉，希望掌握經營主導權，與東芝的談判還沒達成共識。 東芝也在15號宣布，將延後公布2016年度會計年度的財報， 預估虧損金額恐達到9500億日圓，約新台幣2550億元。東芝社長綱川智也在15號下午召開記者會，除了向股東道歉外，也表示威騰電子沒有要求記憶體事業暫停出售的基礎，東芝會向參與競標者，說明東芝主張的正當性，繼續推動股權出售案。 記者 陳詩童 報導。