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Tokyo Authorities Raid Eneos Wing Office in Expanding Gas Oil Price-Fixing Probe

By  |  March 10, 2026
Blockchain, oil and gas industry, technology

Investigators from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors’ Office and Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) searched the Tokyo branch of oil distributor Eneos Wing on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged price-fixing involving gas oil sold to corporate customers in the capital.

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    The search marked the second consecutive day of raids tied to the probe. Authorities targeted the company’s office in Tokyo’s Minato Ward after conducting searches the previous day at locations connected to East Japan Usami and several other businesses, according to a statement on the investigation.

    Eight oil distributors are suspected of coordinating to manipulate prices for gas oil supplied to corporate clients in Tokyo, including transportation companies and other commercial operators, according to a statement. The JFTC initially raided the eight firms last September as part of its antitrust investigation into the suspected cartel.

    Officials from the prosecutors’ office’s special investigation squad and the JFTC are now working jointly to review materials seized during the searches. The evidence will be analyzed to determine whether companies colluded to influence fuel pricing in the Tokyo market, per a statement on the joint inquiry.

    Read more: Tokyo Gas Producer In Tala To Buy US Rival For $4.6B

    Investigators arrived at the building housing the Eneos Wing office shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday, entering in small groups as the search operation began, according to a statement from authorities overseeing the probe.

    People familiar with the matter indicated that sales representatives from the eight companies are suspected of meeting roughly once a month. During these gatherings, they allegedly discussed maintaining or raising prices for gas oil supplied to transportation firms and other business customers in Tokyo, according to a statement on the investigation.

    If the Fair Trade Commission ultimately files a criminal complaint in connection with the case, it would mark the agency’s first such action since it pursued charges related to bid-rigging linked to contracts for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics held in 2021, per a statement on the matter.

    Source: Japan Times