A Japanese firm agreed to a plea deal after allegedly bribing public officials in Thailand, in what is the country’s first ever plea bargain since introducing the new system last month.

Japanese government investigators alleged that Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd. (MHPS) violated the Unfair Competition Prevention Law by bribing foreign officials.

Although MHPS struck a plea deal with the government, they did not admit any wrongdoing and got assurances that for their cooperation in the case, will not face any prosecution for any crimes.

According to the special investigation squad, members of MHPS bribed Thai government officials into choosing their company for a contract to construct a power plant in the Southeast Asian country.

MHPS also conducted an in-house investigation and found that several employees engaged in misconduct and, subsequently, turned that information over to investigators.

The violators, if found guilty, face up to $2.67 million in fines.

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For foreign business licenses in Thailand, contact the expert Thai and US business lawyers at Chaninat & Leeds.

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed class action claims against a Japanese newspaper accused of defaming World War II comfort women by calling them “voluntary prostitutes.”

U.S. District Judge William Alsup found one of Japan’s largest media companies, Sankei Shimbum, lacks personal jurisdiction to be sued in California for allegedly defamatory articles printed in its Tokyo-based newspaper.

Company lawyers in Bangkok are a team of American and Thai lawyers dedicated to helping businesses succeed in Thailand.

Hee Nam You and Kyng Soon Kim, two elderly Korean women who say they were kidnapped and made to serve as comfort women during the war, sued 19 defendants including the Japanese government and its prime minister in July.

Read the full story at CourtHouse News.