December 20, 2023
Japan Fair Trade Commission
(Initiatives on the Issue of Requesting Free Storage of Metal Dies, etc.)
Today, I would like to talk about the request concerning the issue of free storage of metal dies made by December 15 to the relevant associations of metal dies.
JFTC and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency have been carrying out various initiatives.
With regard to the issue of free storage of metal dies, etc., the report of the Council for the Promotion of Proper Die Trading, which was established in 2019 with the secretariat of Small and Medium Enterprise Agency etc., states:
As stated above, the issue has become apparent with the decrease in the amount of metal die shipments.
Given this situation, JFTC has been working to strictly address specific violations of the Subcontract Act related to requests for free storage of metal dies, etc. We made a recommendation to in and publicized this case of Okano Valve Mfg. Co. Ltd. on March 16, 2023, which was the first case of recommendation related to requests for the free storage of dies, and then it was followed by a recommendation in and publicized the case of Sanken Electric Co., Ltd. on November 30, 2023.
JFTC believes that these cases of recommendation will contribute to the prevention of violations of the Subcontract Act by showing again that requests for the free storage of metal dies etc. may be problematic under the Subcontract Act and the specific cases to be regarded as problematic.
In addition, in joint names with the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, JFTC made requests to relevant associations of metal dies to disseminate the recommended cases to their members.
We made this request with the hope that the recommendation cases will lead to the resolution of issues by promoting further understanding of these issues and raising awareness of compliance with laws and regulations, including the Subcontract Act, in relevant industries broadly.
JFTC will continue to strictly enforce the Subcontract Act and other laws, and will further work to resolve the issue of free storage requests for metal dies, etc.
（Tentative translation）
Today, I would like to talk about the request concerning the issue of free storage of metal dies made by December 15 to the relevant associations of metal dies.
JFTC and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency have been carrying out various initiatives.
With regard to the issue of free storage of metal dies, etc., the report of the Council for the Promotion of Proper Die Trading, which was established in 2019 with the secretariat of Small and Medium Enterprise Agency etc., states:
"With the decrease of domestic production activities, the amount of metal die shipments in our country [...] has been on a downward trend [...] and in this situation, issues concerning die disposal and the burden of storage costs, etc. have become apparent."
As stated above, the issue has become apparent with the decrease in the amount of metal die shipments.
Given this situation, JFTC has been working to strictly address specific violations of the Subcontract Act related to requests for free storage of metal dies, etc. We made a recommendation to in and publicized this case of Okano Valve Mfg. Co. Ltd. on March 16, 2023, which was the first case of recommendation related to requests for the free storage of dies, and then it was followed by a recommendation in and publicized the case of Sanken Electric Co., Ltd. on November 30, 2023.
JFTC believes that these cases of recommendation will contribute to the prevention of violations of the Subcontract Act by showing again that requests for the free storage of metal dies etc. may be problematic under the Subcontract Act and the specific cases to be regarded as problematic.
In addition, in joint names with the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, JFTC made requests to relevant associations of metal dies to disseminate the recommended cases to their members.
We made this request with the hope that the recommendation cases will lead to the resolution of issues by promoting further understanding of these issues and raising awareness of compliance with laws and regulations, including the Subcontract Act, in relevant industries broadly.
JFTC will continue to strictly enforce the Subcontract Act and other laws, and will further work to resolve the issue of free storage requests for metal dies, etc.
（Tentative translation）
