Japan Antitrust Watchdog to Add New Bureau to Tackle Big Tech

Tokyo, July 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Fair Trade Commission plans to create a new bureau for the first time in about 30 years to strengthen oversight of Big Tech firms and ensure fairer transactions for small businesses. The antitrust watchdog announced the organizational overhaul plan Wednesday, saying it also intends to upgrade its regional offices into regional bureaus to intensify enforcement against unlawful price-transfer practices. The commission aims to submit a bill to revise the antimonopoly law during next year’s ordinary session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, to enable the restructuring. It currently comprises the Secretariat, responsible for overall coordination, and two bureaus–the Economic Affairs Bureau and the Investigation Bureau. The Economic Affairs Bureau has been tasked with antitrust policy planning and reviews of mergers and acquisitions, while the Investigation Bureau has handled suspected violations of the antimonopoly law. Under the restructuring plan, the Economic Affairs Bureau would be split into two, creating a three-bureau structure. The Economic Affairs Bureau’s responsibilities have expanded since December following the enforcement of two laws: the smartphone software competition promotion law, aimed at curbing the market dominance of Big Tech companies such as Google LLC and Apple Inc., and the revised law on ensuring fair transactions for small and medium-sized businesses. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]