TOKYO - Panasonic Corp. said Thursday it will take majority control of Sanyo Electric Co. in a US $4.6 billion deal, forging one of the biggest electronics makers in the world with an edge in green technologies.

Panasonic said it will buy 50.2 per cent of Sanyo for 403.78 billion yen ($4.6 billion) after closing its five-week tender offer that began on Nov. 5.

With the purchase, Panasonic can draw upon Sanyo's expertise in solar panels and rechargeable batteries, bolstering its resources in the race to develop environmental technologies.

The tender offer had been delayed by several months while Panasonic awaited clearance from anti-monopoly authorities in the U.S., China and the European Union before going ahead with the takeover.

Founded by Konosuke Matsushita, Sanyo is a popular brand but in recent years has been seen as a relative loser in Japan's competitive electronics sector.

Sanyo posted a 30.6 billion yen net loss in the April-September half, compared with an 8.7 billion yen profit during the same period last year. To survive, it is has invested heavily in renewable energy technologies and aims to quadruple its solar cell output capacity by 2015.