Competition Law Legal Update (July 2023)

1. The JFTC's Public Announcement of "Processing Status of Cases in Violation of the Antimonopoly Act in FY2022"

Yoshiharu Usuki / Hiroki Kitada

On June 1, 2023, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (the "JFTC") published "Processing Status of Cases in Violation of the AMA in FY2022" ¹ . As the impact of COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the number of legal actions increased significantly, and the total amount of surcharges increased significantly to a record high of ¥101.9 billion ($890.9 million). The most notable features of the report are the investigation of bid-rigging cases in the electric power company and event sectors, and the first public announcement of a case using the surcharge reduction system. Below, we would like to briefly comment on the status of the JFTC's handling of the announced antitrust cases. As the impact of COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the number of cases involving legal measures have increased significantly, and the total amount of surcharges