Mitsui & Co., the second-largest trading company in the nation, and its U.S. unit have been accused in a lawsuit of discriminating against non-Asian employees by denying them equal pay and promotional opportunities.
Andrew Van Etten, a former senior director at Mitsui USA, claims widespread discrimination at the Tokyo-based company, according to a complaint filed Friday in federal court in Manhattan. Van Etten said he was fired because of issues related to his expenses.
"No Japanese/Asian rotational employee has ever been reprimanded for similar conduct," he said in the complaint.