Sony is poised to invest 50 billion yen (around £400m) in Olympus, reports Reuters, quoting an article in the Nikkei, a Japanese business newspaper.

However, Olympus head office in Tokyo today declined to comment, other than to state: ‘The company will immediately disclose any further important information when it comes to light.’

Meanwhile, Olympus has yet to respond to our request for confirmation on the contents of an interview given by the firm’s president, Hiroyuki Sasa, to journalists on Wednesday.

Sasa reportedly said that the company faces growing pressure to strike a capital tie-up with another company.