The logo of Universal Entertainment Corp. is seen at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Japan's Universal Entertainment Corp 6425.T to hear its defamation case against Reuters, upholding two lower court rulings that its case against the news agency lacked merit.

In a short written ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that Universal did not have grounds for appeal. Yoshinobu Onuki was the presiding judge in the case.

Universal did not respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

Universal had sued Reuters in Tokyo in December 2012, demanding 200 million yen ($1.79 million) and apologies, for stories relating to $40 million in payments Universal made to a consultant in relation to a casino project in the Philippines.

In 2015, the Tokyo District Court ruled that the Reuters’ articles were accurate, and the company then lost an appeal last year at the Tokyo High Court, which upheld the lower court’s ruling.

The Reuters articles were about Universal’s payments to Rodolfo Soriano, a close associate of the former head of the Philippine gaming authority, and an investigation by the Nevada gambling regulator into the payments.

Universal denies any wrongdoing.

A Reuters spokesperson said: “We are pleased with this resolution, which upholds the right of the press to report on news in the public interest.”