TOKYO -- A top Japanese economic minister said Friday there was nothing special about foreign firms investing in Japanese banks, as attention focuses on a battle over the control of Aozora Bank.

"In general, I do not see acquisitions by foreign firms as special cases," said Financial Services and Economy Minister Heizo Takenaka.

Takenaka's comments came as eyes focus on a struggle between Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) and U.S. investment fund Cerberus over who will buy a controlling 49 percent stake in troubled Aozora Bank from Internet investor Softbank Corp.

Reports have said Cerberus is joining forces with Hypovereinsbank of Germany and GE Capital of the United States to buy the stake.

But analysts have said Japanese authorities, including the Financial Services Agency (FSA) which Takenaka heads, would prefer a domestic firm to buy the stake, AFP reported.

The FSA sees a domestic bank as being more likely to want to retain a long term interest in Aozora, which was formed when Nippon Credit Bank collapsed and came under temporary state control in 1998, analysts said.

Earlier in the week, U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs said it will invest $1.3 billion in SMFG. In return, the U.S. firm will receive guarantees worth up to a billion dollars for loans to Goldman Sachs clients.

Last month UFJ Bank announced a 100 billion yen investment by Merrill Lynch to help pay for bad loan disposals.