Japan Tobacco says government will sell stake 'eventually'

摘要

Japan Tobacco Inc. said the country's government will "eventually" sell its stake in the maker of Mild Seven cigarettes as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama may want to raise funds to stem rising public debt.rnJapan's government currently owns 50.01% of the cigarette maker, having sold stock three times since the company was founded in 1985. Shares of Japan Tobacco, the world's third-largest publicly traded cigarette maker, have fallen 14% since Hatoyama came to office on Sept. 16, as the government debates whether to raise taxes on cigarettes.