Organisation: Japan Fair Trade Commission

Japan raids healthcare software provider

Japan’s competition authority has raided a healthcare technology company over concerns it forced payment providers to sell its software if they wanted to connect with its platform.

25 May 2023

Aoki champions antitrust law as solution to Japanese stagnation

Significant hope exists in Japan among the public, politicians and business community that competition policy can be a “large part of the solution” to the country’s socioeconomic problems, a commissioner at its antitrust agency has said.

31 March 2023

Japan issues highest-ever antitrust fine to electricity cartel

Japan’s competition authority has hit four former utilities with over €700 million in fines for illegally conspiring to suppress competition after the country’s electricity market was deregulated, in what is the agency’s largest fine for an antitrust violation.

30 March 2023

US lawmakers accuse Japan of allowing Sony to violate antitrust rules

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has accused Japan of “turning a blind eye” to Sony’s “blatantly anticompetitive conduct”, in breach of a trade agreement’s commitment to provide non-discriminatory treatment to US digital products.

29 March 2023

Japan punishes another pharmaceutical wholesaler cartel

Japan’s competition watchdog has fined five pharmaceutical wholesalers a combined €4.5 million for rigging bids to supply drugs to the country’s largest hospital administrator.

27 March 2023

Japan: Post-pandemic JFTC confronts antitrust violations with more proactive enforcement

Featured in Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review 2023

The Japan Fair Trade Commission is aggressively targeting unfair trade practices, merger control, bid rigging and cartels as covid-19 loosens its grip. Regarding cartel enforcement, new leniency regimes and Japanese attorney-client privilege promise to profoundly affect the enforcer’s work in 2023 and beyond.

10 March 2023

Japan: JFTC establishes jurisdiction over M&A transactions under the Anti-monopoly Act

Featured in Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review 2023

Navigating the Japan Fair Trade Commission, which regulates merger control throughout the country, is crucial for all parties contemplating M&A transactions in Japan.

10 March 2023

Evolving legislation and enforcement tactics help competition authorities fight cartels and abusive conduct

Featured in Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review 2023

Significant changes to competition law enforcement (eg, the amendment to China’s anti-monopoly law) and a sharp focus on emerging areas (eg, digital markets) are helping Asia-Pacific authorities prove themselves to be on par with their European and North American counterparts.

10 March 2023

Stronger enforcement and sanctions for pharmaceutical infringements

Featured in Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review 2023

Asia-Pacific regulators are increasingly shining a light on antitrust violations in the pharmaceuticals industry, with stiffer penalties for cartel conduct, abuse of dominance and anticompetitive agreements.

10 March 2023

Japan: Rise in private antitrust cases yields judgments with international ramifications

Featured in Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review 2023

Amid growth in Japan’s rate of private antitrust cases – specifically, damage suits and injunctions – there is a clear trend for judgments that dismiss plaintiffs’ damage claims due to parties’ agreements on the exclusive jurisdictions of foreign courts.

10 March 2023

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