Ousted Olympus CEO wants meeting with investigative panel

Woodford, however, said he would not travel to Japan and offered instead to meet the group of five lawyers and an accountant in New York, London or Singapore.

"I would very much want to speak to them, absolutely," Woodford told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"I think there are security issues in relation to Japan," he added.

Woodford also said he would be willing to return as CEO to the Japanese company if shareholders wished it, but on condition the company first fired the existing board, asked forensic accountants to pore over the firms books and conducted an impairment test on the company's assets.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Joseph Radford)