Japan Fair Trade Commission Investigations and Inquiries

Antitrust and competition laws function to promote fair competition, and the scope of enforcement is expanding to include fields such as the labor market, entertainment, data and platform services. Investigations by regulatory authorities have evolved to include not only issuing dispositions based on on-site investigations but also the use of soft methods such as sector inquiries through interviews with, and questionnaires to, industry players. Publication by the Japan Fair Trade Commission following such investigations and sector inquiries may have a significant impact not only on a specific case but also on the affected industry as a whole.

 

Our services in this area include:

• Advising not only companies suspected of wrongdoing, but also companies receiving sector inquiries. (For example, we advised clients on sector inquiries concerning abuse of superior bargaining position by digital platform operators, and concerning the trade customs of parties involved in sale and purchase transactions of LNG.)
• Advising on responses to regulator inquiries and requests

 

Related Publications

• "The top three data protection law topics in Japan," The In-House Lawyer Spring 2020, Legalease Ltd (2020) 
• "EU Competition Law Policy in the Digital Age and Japan – Centered around Platform Regulations – ," published in the journal of the European Union Studies Association Japan, EU Studies in Japan No. 40 (2020)
• The Handbook of Competition Enforcement Agencies 2019, Japan Chapter, Global Competition Review (2019) ​​​​​​​
• “Digitalization and the Antimonopoly Act,” Kousei Torihiki: Competition Laws and Policy, Issue No. 822 (2019)

 

Related Seminars

• "EU Competition Law Policy in the Digital Era and Japan: Focused on Platform Regulations," The 40th Annual Conference hosted by the European Union Studies Association-Japan, November 16 and 17, 2019, at Kobe University (Keynote Presentation)

 

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