Major Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corporation (TSE:8058) is in the final stages of talks to sell all of its shareholdings in KFC Holdings Japan, Ltd. (TSE:9873) to U.S. investment fund The Carlyle Group Inc. (NasdaqGS:CG), informed sources have said. Mitsubishi is expected to make a decision on the sale by the end of May, according to the sources. KFC Holdings Japan runs the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain in the country.

Carlyle Group apparently aims to take KFC Holdings Japan private by acquiring a 35% stake held by Mitsubishi and shares held by others. KFC Holdings Japan is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Standard section. Its market capitalization totals some JPY 110 billion.