Organisation: Japan Fair Trade Commission

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

Japan: Amendments to Anti-monopoly Act increase JFTC’s capacity to pursue and settle cases

Featured in Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review 2023

Updates to the Anti-monopoly Act have given the Japan Fair Trade Commission fresh powers to formally accept voluntary commitments suspected of having infringed the law. This landmark development is helping the commission to settle all cases investigating foreign entities’ competitive conduct.

10 March 2023

Japan: Evolving JFTC cartel regulation continues to target unreasonable restraint of trade

Featured in Asia-Pacific Antitrust Review 2023

The 2019 amendment to Japan’s Antimonopoly Act greatly influenced the country’s cartel regulation, significantly affecting its pre-existing Leniency Programme and introducing the Reduction System for Cooperation in Investigations.

10 March 2023

Japan refers Tokyo Olympics cartel to public prosecutor

Japan’s antitrust authority has filed a criminal complaint to the country's public prosecutor against six companies and seven individuals that allegedly conspired to rig dozens of bids to advertise and plan test events for the recent Tokyo Summer Olympics.

28 February 2023

JFTC seeks to curb Apple and Google duopoly

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission has warned Apple and Google that they may be infringing the country’s antitrust laws through their alleged duopoly over mobile operating systems and urged both to change their behaviour to boost competition.

10 February 2023

Tokyo Olympics cartel probe reportedly secures another confession

Japanese advertising company Dentsu Group has reportedly admitted to colluding to rig dozens of bids to advertise and plan test events for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, less than two months after rival Hakuhodo purportedly confessed its role in the infringement.

31 January 2023

JFTC consults on draft sustainability guidelines

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission has published draft guidance on how it will treat sustainability initiatives under the country’s antitrust law, clarifying collaboration agreements that will raise competition concerns and green objectives that require more research.

17 January 2023

Report: JFTC secures confession as Tokyo Olympics bid-rigging probe intensifies

One of Japan’s top advertising companies has reportedly admitted to its role in rigging bids to plan test events for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, while another has filed for leniency.

16 December 2022

Key Developments in Japan

Featured in Digital Markets Guide - Second Edition

In recent years, the Japanese government has been keen to scrutinise the digital markets from various perspectives to implement appropriate competition policy promptly and effectively to enhance competition and innovation in digital markets.

25 November 2022

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