(Telecompaper) Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry, the holding company of Foxconn, has invited SoftBank Group to join its bid to acquire Sharp, Nikkei reports. Foxconn thus hopes to close the deal by bringing in a Japanese partner and a major buyer of the manufacturer's mainstay smartphones. According to the same source, Foxconn plans to hold a controlling interest in Sharp, which SoftBank would take 10-20 percent stake in Sharp.