The Cerberus Group, a private U.S. equity fund that has already made an offer to buy the collapsed retail chain Nagasakiya, may also be interested in the failed department store chain Sogo Co.

That was the indication Monday when the president of the Industrial Bank of Japan refused to rule out the possibility of selling Sogo to Cerberus.

Masao Nishimura was replying to a question at a meeting of the House of Representatives Finance Committee, called to discuss Sogo's failure and the government's handling of the situation. The IBJ is Sogo's biggest creditor.