Sony to invest $642 million in Olympus

There is nothing quite like a patriotic spirit when it comes to helping your fellow countrymen out, case in point, Sony is mulling over whether to invest a whopping $642 million in beleaguered Olympus. Olympus is definitely not immune to modern day economics despite having the namesake of a mountain where the gods lived, as the Japanese manufacturer of cameras, optics and reprography products is currently undergoing a trial that involves hidden investment losses for the better part of 2 decades, and has been keeping their fingers crossed for a potential investor to pass by. It looks like throwing in $642 million would make Sony the largest shareholder by far and large.

There were rumors of a Panasonic investment earlier in the middle of this year, but Reuters confirmed via a trio of different sources that both Sony and Olympus are preparing themselves to announce an investment which would represent 10% of the capital. It would be interesting to see just what kind of devices will Sony be able to churn out through their investment in Olympus. After all, Sony is not exactly on a fast moving boat, either.