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Japan: Bullet train works plagued by bid rigging

By  |  December 19, 2017

Tokyo prosecutors raided the headquarters of Japanese construction firms Taisei and Obayashi on Tuesday, December 19, over alleged antitrust violations linked to US$80 billion worth of magnetic levitation (maglev) train projects.

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    According to ABC, Taisei, one of the so-called “big four” of Japan’s construction firms, is fully cooperating with the investigation, company spokesman Takayuki Renbutsu said.

    Separately, prosecutors raided Obayashi’s offices over suspected antitrust breaches, a company spokeswoman said. The firm is already under investigation for suspected bid-rigging over maglev-related contracts.

    All the contractors have promised to cooperate fully with the investigation into the alleged violations of anti-trust laws. Reports said prosecutors are looking into alleged “obstruction of business” because the contracts for the line, called the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, are for private-sector, not public contracts.

    Full Content: ABC News

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