Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard’s US$47-billion bid for Japan’s of Seven & i, which controls the convenience store chain, could potentially affect the company’s ability to distribute food in the event of an emergency, Japan’s economy minister Ryosei Akazawa said. “If Seven & i’s convenience store business is in foreign hands and run solely for profits, we’ll have to think about various things, such as whether we can get full support when our people affected by the disaster are suffering,” Akazawa said. (Reuters)

Talking point: The government classified Seven & i as core to Japan’s security in September, a largely ceremonial move that nonetheless underscored the importance of the 7-Eleven brand in the country. Seven & i has rejected Couche-Tard’s increasingly generous acquisition entreaties, and the founding family of the Tokyo-based company, which owns about an eight per cent stake in the retailer, is attempting to take it private to prevent the sale.