Lawsuit Filed Against Japanese U.S. Subsidiary

A federal lawsuit was filed against Marubeni America Corporation ("MAC" or the "Company"), a Japanese general trading company based in New York, by Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP, on behalf of two Senior Vice Presidents and General Managers that alleges MAC engages in
rampant discrimination against American and other employees on the basis of
their race, color, and/or gender and has engaged in intimidation and committed
serious financial fraud.

According to the lawsuit, MAC executives have committed blatant and
egregious acts of unlawful discrimination, financial fraud, and other
improprieties. Specifically, the complaint alleges that:

* MAC engages in pervasive illegal employment practices against American
and other non-Asian/non-Japanese employees, particularly against women
and other minorities;

* An outside consultant concluded that MAC is a "ticking time bomb" and
that it has a "very destructive and racially charged environment;"

* MAC executives openly called African-American, Hispanic and Jewish
employees derogatory names;

* The former top HR official at MAC frequently called a female Jewish
employee a derogatory name and kept a bracelet with swastikas on it that
he intended to give to her;

* MAC has repeatedly sought to fire women because they became pregnant;

* Internal communications explicitly state that MAC's outside counsel, the
law firm of Proskauer Rose LLP, has done a "masterful job" protecting
MAC from different minority groups possibly litigating;

* A former CEO of a MAC subsidiary routinely ordered that his internal
accountants "cook the books" and used thousands of dollars of corporate
funds to bail himself out of jail after being arrested for Driving Under
the Influence of Alcohol and later ordered that the money be buried in
the general expense account.

"The evidence of discrimination against Americans is overwhelming," said
Kenneth P. Thompson, attorney for the Plaintiffs and a former federal
prosecutor. That evidence includes company emails, other internal documents
detailing the unlawful discrimination or fraud, and written admissions from
the CEO and CFO of MAC that the Company had engaged in discrimination, fraud,
and other unlawful activities. "The e-mails and internal documents are
devastating proof of the corruption, fraud, and unlawful discrimination," said
Thompson.

The Plaintiffs, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Human
Resources and the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Internal
Auditing at MAC, who are Caucasian, allege that they were retaliated against
by the Company for complaining about the widespread discrimination, financial
fraud, and other wrongdoing occurring at MAC.

As an example of the retaliation, MAC repeatedly threatened to go to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation to commence a federal criminal investigation
on trumped up charges that they conspired to defraud millions of dollars from
MAC. "The threat to go to the FBI was a desperate attempt by the Company to
intimidate our clients into keeping silent," said Scott B. Gilly, counsel to
Plaintiffs.

In addition, several other longtime employees at MAC have come forward to
expose the rampant discrimination being committed at MAC against
non-Asian/non-Japanese employees. These individuals have also filed charges
of discrimination against the Company.

There will be a press conference at 2:30 pm at the law offices of Thompson
Wigdor & Gilly LLP, located at 350 5th Avenue, Suite 5720, New York, NY 10118.
The two Senior Vice Presidents and General Managers and other MAC employees
will be present. Copies of the federal complaint, and documents containing
evidence of the discrimination, including Company emails, will be distributed
at the press conference.

Other applicants or employees of MAC who feel they have suffered
discriminatory treatment should contact the law of firm of Thompson Wigdor and
Gilly LLP.

CONTACT:
Kenneth P. Thompson
(212) 239-9292