An American businessman who tried to change the often unethical and intimidating way debts are collected in Japan pleaded guilty Friday to charges of lacking the proper licenses for debt-collection work.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Steven Gan, a U.S. certified public accountant and president of Advance &amp; Associates Co., had collected outstanding small-scale debts on behalf of hundreds of corporate creditors. He was indicted on charges of collecting a combined 17.8 million yen in debts without being a licensed lawyer or debt-collection firm known as a servicer, for four years through the spring of 2004.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Gan was arrested by prosecutors on Nov. 4. After spending 25 days in detention, during which he admitted to the charges, he was released on bail.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'I'm very sorry for all the trouble I've caused,' Gan told the court. 'I never thought my company's collection business was definitely in violation of the law, –

I thought it might be."