A former worker at Ajinomoto Co. has filed a suit against the food maker over the patented production method for the artificial sweetener aspartame, his lawyers said Sunday.
Masayoshi Naruse, 61, is demanding 2 billion yen for his contribution to the product's development.
He lodged the suit with the Tokyo District Court, claiming he did not receive a proper reward for his contribution to developing the mass production method for the sweetener. In Japan, aspartame is sold under the product name Pal Sweet.