Hitachi Chemical Co. Ltd. will plead guilty for conspiring with competitors between 2002 and 2010 to fix prices for electrolytic capacitors sold to customers in the United States and elsewhere.

“Hitachi Chemical subsidiaries and co-conspirators fixed the prices of capacitors, a fundamental component of widely used electronic products,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent Snyder.  “This is the second guilty plea in this investigation, and we will continue to pursue companies and individuals that conspire to undermine competition for technology components of all shapes and sizes.”

Electrolytic capacitors store and regulate electrical current in a variety of electronic products, including computers, televisions, car engine and airbag systems, home appliances and office equipment.

The one-count felony charge was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California in San Francisco.

In addition to pleading guilty to that charge and paying a criminal fine, Tokyo-based Hitachi Chemical has agreed to cooperate in the department’s ongoing investigation.

The plea agreement is subject to court approval.

On January 21, 2016, NEC Tokin Corp. pled guilty to participating in the same worldwide conspiracy from 2002 to 2013 and was sentenced to pay a fine of $13.8 million.

On March 12, 2015, a grand jury indicted Takuro Isawa, a former global sales general manager for one of the capacitor manufacturers, for his participation in the conspiracy.