Japan FTC Accuses 5 Oil Distributors of Cartel

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Fair Trade Commission filed a complaint against five oil distributors Friday over an alleged price cartel for gas oil sold to transport and other companies in Tokyo. Following the complaint submitted to the prosecutor-general, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is expected to indict the five companies including East Japan Usami Co. of Tokyo, Eneos Wing Corp. of Nagoya, central Japan, and Enex Fleet Co. of Osaka, western Japan. This is the first criminal complaint by the FTC since February 2023, when the antimonopoly watchdog handled a bid-rigging scandal related to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics held in 2021. The FTC decided not to file criminal complaints against individuals, apparently because the cartel had continued for many years. According to the FTC, officials from the five companies allegedly agreed to raise the selling prices of gas oil and curb price reduction at meetings in Tokyo between October and December 2024. In September last year, the FTC conducted raids on eight companies including the five. Last month, the commission carried out joint searches with the prosecutors’ office. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]