Panasonic said to have sold $1 billion in shares to underpin finances

Panasonic and other Japanese companies commonly own cross-shareholding stakes in their suppliers and customers to cement business ties.

Yup, and possibly one of the many reasons Panasonic and other Japanese electronics companies are failing. Instead of investing their capital in R&D and other means to stay more efficient/competitive, they have it tied up in the stock of other companies. Stability has its price.

Panasonic spent USD 6.6Bn last year on R&D.

http://www.booz.com/global/home/what-we-think/global-innovation-1000/top-innovators-spenders/51180614

Their biggest problem was the 'make it and they will buy' mentality - engineers creating products largely for their own gratification (square and over specced) instead of asking what the customer needed and wanted.