TOKYO, March 11 (Reuters) - Canada's Alimentation

Couche-Tard ( ANCTF ) said on Tuesday it is confident in

attaining the U.S. regulatory approvals required to buy out

Japan's Seven & i Holdings ( SVNDF ) after the latter said

antitrust law would be a barrier to any deal.

Couche-Tard also said it was frustrated by Seven & i's ( SVNDF )

limited engagement, although the two have begun working together

on a plan to offload U.S. stores so as to gain regulatory

approval.

The comments are the latest salvo in what would be

Japan's largest foreign buyout in history, and contradict Seven

& i's ( SVNDF ) newly appointed CEO Stephen Dacus, who has reiterated that

significant regulatory hurdles stand in the way of a merger.

Seven & i ( SVNDF ) did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

The companies are the top two players in the U.S.

convenience-store market, with about 20,000 locations between

them.

Couche-Tard said it had identified a portfolio of U.S.

stores to potentially offload and had begun talks with

prospective buyers at the behest of Seven & i ( SVNDF ).

The Canadian suitor submitted a revised non-binding

proposal in January, but had not been permitted to commence due

diligence which would allow it to enhance its bid, Couche-Tard

said.

"We have reiterated several times over the past few months

that we intend to be friendly and persistent in pursuing a

transaction," Couche-Tard said.

"We have done that in the face of significant frustration

and distraction."

Couche-Tard, which operates the Circle-K chain of

convenience stores, has a long record of acquisitions and said

it planned to finance the buyout with a combination of equity

and debt.

It added that it had received letters from Goldman Sachs,

Royal Bank of Canada, and Scotiabank in support of its

financing, which would be sized to maintain its strong

investment-grade credit rating.