The Japan Fair Trade Commission raided three contact lens makers Tuesday, June 11, for allegedly forcing retailers not to list prices on their advertisements in violation of the Antimonopoly Law, it was learned Tuesday.
The antitrust watchdog’s on-site inspections covered Alcon Japan, CooperVision Japan, and Seed. All of them are based in Tokyo.
The three are suspected of forcing retailers not to list the prices of some disposable contact lenses on flyers or online ads, and effectively banning them from selling certain products online.
The makers are believed to have put pressure on retailers that failed to follow their instructions, telling them through wholesalers that the supply of products to them might be suspended.
On their flyers and other ads, retailers used such phrases as “special prices” and “10 percent cuts from shop prices” for some products, without indicating what they were priced as, informed sources said.
The three companies apparently attempted to prevent prices of their products from falling as a result of the competition, thereby securing profits, the sources said.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Federal Antitrust Trial Explores Potential Impact of Tapestry-Capri Merger
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Australia Targets Big Tech with New Fines for Misinformation
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Mastercard to Acquire Cybersecurity Firm Recorded Future for $2.65 Billion
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Ireland Prime Minister: Apple’s €13 Billion Payment Could Fund Housing and Capital Projects
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Regulators Probe Swisscom’s $8.8 Billion Vodafone Italia Deal
Sep 12, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Canada & Mexico
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI
Competitive Convergence: Mexico’s 30-Year Quest for Antitrust Parity with its Northern Neighbor
Sep 3, 2024 by
Francisco Javier Núñez Melgoza
Competition and Digital Markets in North America: A Comparative Study of Antitrust Investigations in Mexico and the United States
Sep 3, 2024 by
Julio Garcia
Recent Antitrust Development in Mexico: COFECE’s Preliminary Report on Amazon and Mercado Libre
Sep 3, 2024 by
Alejandra Palacios Prieto
The Cost of Making COFECE Disappear
Sep 3, 2024 by
Mateo Fernández