Japan’s Sharp (6753.TYO) announced Tuesday that it sold a 10% stake to Hon Hai Precision (2317.TPE) for around US$800 million to prop up its ailing liquid crystal display panel business, The Wall Street Journal reported. Hon Hai, the parent company of Apple (AAPL.Nasdaq) parts maker Foxconn, will become the company’s largest shareholder and is looking to acquire Sharp’s more advanced technical expertise. Sharp is expected to post losses in the billions of dollars this fiscal year, owing to weak demand, low-cost competition from Korean technology rivals and a strong yen. The company’s stock has fallen 26% so far in 2012. “We have tried to do everything by ourselves, but the environment is tough,” said Takashi Okuda, who is set to become the firm’s president on April 1. Analysts say that if the cash injection bolsters Sharp it could pose a threat to Apple, which is working on its own television product.