Asia Tech Wire (Apr 17) -- Japanese electronics firm Toshiba is considering cutting its domestic workforce by 5,000, according to Nikkei.

In the latest move to accelerate its restructuring, Toshiba is considering cutting its domestic workforce by 5,000, or about 7% of its total in Japan, Wednesday's report said.

The layoffs mainly target Toshiba's back-office department at its headquarters. In addition, the company will seek voluntary retirements.

If it goes ahead as planned, the layoffs will be the company's largest since accounting fraud came to light in 2015.

Toshiba delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange last December, ending its 74-year history of listing.

A consortium led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) pushed to privatize Toshiba after buying the company for 2 trillion yen ($14 billion).

Toshiba has a wide range of businesses, covering everything from battery and chip production to the development of nuclear power technology and defense equipment.

After completing the privatization, Toshiba CEO Taro Shimada said he would consolidate four business units - energy, infrastructure, digital solutions and electronic devices - to eliminate overlap.

In moving forward with the restructuring, Toshiba hopes to lay the groundwork for a new round of growth centered on infrastructure and digital technology.