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ARTICLE · 07 OCTOBER 2025

UK And Japan Sign Competition Cooperation Agreement

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Where one authority becomes aware of enforcement activities that may affect the "important interests" of the other, it should provide notification to the other as soon as reasonably practicable.

GlobalAntitrust/Competition Law
Charles Whiddington
Charles Whiddington
Ronan Scanlan
Ronan Scanlan
Yumiko Takahashi
Yumiko Takahashi
Goki Niimura
Goki Niimura

Click here to read a Japanese translation of this post.

On 30 September 2025, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Fair Trade Commission of Japan (JFTC) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) establishing a framework to promote cooperation, coordination, and the exchange of information in relation to their competition law enforcement activities. The MoC reflects the growing importance of bilateral cooperation in an increasingly globalised marketplace, particularly in areas such as digital platforms and complex multinational mergers.

This article covers a summary of the MoC focusing on the three key areas of cooperation (i.e. notification, coordination of enforcement activities and information sharing), areas of differences with other agreements, and implications for business.

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