Taiheiyo Cement says in talks to buy U.S. firm

TOKYO, June 18 (Reuters) - Taiheiyo Cement Corp. (5233.T), Japan's largest cement maker, announced on Monday that it was in talks to buy a U.S.-based producer of ready mixed concrete to help expand its business in the U.S.

A spokesman for Taiheiyo, which gets nearly 80 percent of its sales from the mature Japanese market, said it made the announcement because the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had notified it of its clearance for a deal on its Website.

"We are still in negotiations," Kenichi Aoki said, declining to name the target or give other details.

((Reporting by Nathan Layne, editing by Rory Channing; Reuters Messaging: nathan.layne.reuters.com@reuters.net; +81-3432-8231; nathan.layne@reuters.com)) Keywords: TAIHEIYO CEMENT ACQUISITION/

(C) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution ofReuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expresslyprohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuterssphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group ofcompanies around the world.nT222192