Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, ANTITRUST NEWS: Japan Fair Trade Commission holds bilateral meetings with U.S., Canada counterparts, (Sep 12, 2013)
By Jeffrey May, J.D.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has held meetings with its counterparts in the United States and Canada over the last couple of days. When Kazuyuki Sugimoto became chairman of the JFTC earlier this year, he pledged to promote international cooperation at the agency. The meetings are seen as an effort to foster continued cooperation.
According to a JFTC statement, meetings were held with the U.S. agencies, the FTC and Department of Justice Antitrust Division, on September 10 in Washington, D.C. Participants included JFTC Chairman Sugimoto, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, and William J. Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division. On the agenda were enforcement developments and priorities and merger review.
There was likely much to talk about at this 33rd meeting between the Japan and U.S. antitrust enforcers. Some recent high profile Antitrust Division cartel investigations have led to charges against a number of Japanese companies and individuals. Probes of the auto parts, freight forwarding, and financial services industries have involved Japanese-based companies or Japanese subsidiaries of global firms.
The meeting between the JFTC and the Canada Competition Bureau officials was held today in Ottawa. JFTC Chairman Sugimoto was joined by Commissioner John Pecman and other officials. This was the fourth bilateral meeting between the two agencies since the signing of the Canada-Japan Cooperation Agreement in 2005. Topics of discussion included agency priorities, competition advocacy, the intersection between competition and intellectual property law, and recent enforcement cases.
As in the United States, Canada has recently brought charges against major Japanese companies under its competition laws. For instance, a record (Can.) $30 million fine was imposed on Japanese motor vehicle component manufacturer Yazaki Corporation in April for conspiring with other Japanese motor vehicle components manufacturers to rig bids to supply Honda of Canada Manufacturing Inc. and Toyota Manufacturing Canada Inc.
“We were very pleased to host the delegation from the Japan Fair Trade Commission, led by Chairman Kazuyuki Sugimoto,” said Canada’s Competition Commissioner John Pecman in announcing the meeting. “Our discussions were informative and insightful, and continue the strong relationship between our two agencies. Exchanging ideas and sharing experiences regarding current issues in competition law enforcement is extremely valuable to our work.”
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