The labor union of Japanese department store Sogo & Seibu said on Monday it has given strike notice to management ahead of the company's planned sale.

If a strike goes ahead, it would be the first at a major department store in Japan in about 60 years.

The union says it has set the date for Thursday mainly at the chain's flagship store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district. It is demanding that parent company Seven & i Holdings change its plan to sell Sogo & Seibu to a US investment firm.

The union served notice on Monday after a meeting with management fell apart. Seven & i decided on the sale last November. But the plan has met with objections from the union.

The parent company still plans to hold a board meeting soon to take a final vote on selling the department store.