Competition / Antitrust Law

A collection of 32 posts
Slide summarising JFTC cost pass-through rules: AMA, Subcontract Act, proactive price talks and key compliance actions.
Competition / Antitrust Law

Cost Pass-Through Under Japan’s Antimonopoly & Subcontract Acts: How to Avoid JFTC Scrutiny

TL;DR * Japan’s JFTC now treats passive refusal to discuss cost hikes—or rejecting supplier price-rise requests without reasons—as potential Abuse of Superior Bargaining Position. * Both the Antimonopoly Act and the Subcontract Act have been re-interpreted through new guidelines, large-scale surveys and public “naming and shaming.” * Buyers should
9 min read
Slide summary: Japan antitrust—cooperative exemption limits, ESG human-rights collaboration risks, Green Guidelines framework
Competition / Antitrust Law

Antitrust Considerations in Japan: Beyond Cartels – Cooperatives, ESG, and Human Rights

TL;DR: Japan’s Antimonopoly Act polices more than cartels—recent JFTC cases against fishery cooperatives show the limits of Article 22 exemptions, while ESG collaborations on human-rights due diligence face antitrust scrutiny under the Green Guidelines framework. Businesses must vet cooperative agreements, information sharing and boycott risks. Table of
9 min read
Slide overview: Japan’s multi-pillar platform regulation—competition, transparency, consumer, data and tax duties 2025-26
Competition / Antitrust Law

Japan's Evolving Platform Regulation Landscape: An Overview for Global Businesses

TL;DR: Japan is piecing together an issue-specific framework for digital-platform oversight: tougher competition rules for mobile gatekeepers, transparency laws for online malls, “soft-law” consumer-protection duties, and new security-tax measures. Global businesses must map which statute applies to which service and prepare for stricter disclosure, algorithm and data-handling obligations. Table
11 min read
One-slide summary: JFTC merger control—thresholds, theories of harm, remedies, monitoring trustees
Competition / Antitrust Law

Antitrust Oversight in Japanese M&A: Understanding Merger Control and the Role of Monitoring Trustees

TL;DR: Japan’s Antimonopoly Act requires pre-merger filings when thresholds are met, and the JFTC rigorously analyses unilateral and coordinated effects. Where concerns arise, structural or behavioural remedies—often overseen by monitoring trustees—enable clearance. Early antitrust assessment and local expertise are critical for deal certainty. Table of Contents
7 min read