October 8, 2025
Japan Fair Trade Commission
Today, I would like to talk about two points.
At first, I will talk about the G7 Competition Authorities and Policymakers’ Summit—so-called G7 Competition Summit attended by Chair Chatani last week, followed by an overview of the Japan and U.S. High-Level Meeting and the signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation between Japan and the United Kingdom.
G7 Competition Summit
G7 Competition Summit was held in Ottawa, Canada, hosted by the Competition Bureau Canada on October 2. This annual international conference has been organized every year by the G7 presidency since 2021 to promote mutual cooperation among competition authorities in addressing competition issues in the digital sector.
At this year’s Summit, participants discussed topics such as recent enforcement experiences and detection strategies about algorithmic pricing. From the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), Chair Eiji Chatani and other officials attended. The JFTC also introduced the key findings of the Report Regarding Generative AI, a market study published in June 2025.
In conjunction with the Summit, the competition authorities of the G7 jointly revised and published the “Compendium of Approaches to Improving Competition in Digital Markets,” which highlights recent enforcement cases, merger cases, and advocacy efforts.
The JFTC considers it important to further strengthen international cooperation with G7 competition authorities and policymakers, building on the discussions at the Summit, to address competition challenges in digital markets.
Japan and U.S. High-Level Meeting
Next, I would like to talk about the meeting held on September 29 in Washington, D.C. between Chair Eiji Chatani of the Japan Fair Trade Commission and Ms. Abigail Slater, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division as well as Mr. Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
At the meeting, the participants engaged in active discussions on priority initiatives and challenges of both countries, and reaffirmed their commitment to further enhancing bilateral cooperation through continued exchanges of views.
On September 12, Chair Chatani also held a meeting with Ms. Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission. I believe that having such opportunities for in-person exchanges of views with the heads of leading competition authorities around the world represents a significant achievement.
Japan and U.K. Sign Memorandum on Cooperation
Finally, I would like to talk about the signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation between the Japan Fair Trade Commission and the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which took place in Ottawa, Canada, on September 30.
This Memorandum, which has been under negotiation with the CMA since 2019 following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, mainly includes provisions on notifications, coordination of enforcement activities, and exchange of information. It was signed by Chair Chatani and Mr. Chris Prevett, General Counsel of the Competition and Markets Authority.
Looking ahead, I am confident that this Memorandum, which includes provisions on coordination of enforcement activities and exchange of information, will be fully utilized, thereby further strengthening our bilateral relationship with the U.K. authority in both policy and enforcement aspects.
Second Phase of the Campaign to Strengthen Public Awareness of the Freelance Act in FY2025
The Freelance Act (the Act) came into effect on November 1 last year, and its first anniversary is approaching soon.
Since the enforcement of the Act, the JFTC has been working to identify potential violations and has taken swift and appropriate action in cases where violations were found. In June, the JFTC issued three recommendations, followed by one recommendation in September.
In addition to law enforcement, the JFTC considers public awareness and communication to be extremely important. Since the promulgation of the Act in May 2023, the JFTC has actively carried out extensive public outreach to ensure the smooth enforcement of the Act, including intensive and large-scale media campaigns.
This fiscal year as well, from June 30 to August 31, the JFTC implemented the first phase of its public awareness campaign, again collaborating with illustrator and manga blogger BUSON and his original character “Shikibu-chan” to promote greater public understanding of the Act.
The JFTC continues to place great importance on public awareness and outreach even after the enforcement of the Act. Toward the first anniversary of the Act’s enforcement, the JFTC has designated the period from October 6 to November 30 as the second phase of this fiscal year’s public awareness campaign and will carry out various promotional activities during this period.
As the highlight of the second phase, the JFTC will release a video on PIVOT, a business video media platform. The video, titled “You Might Be Overlooking More Than You Think! Learning About the Freelance Act with the JFTC,” features JFTC officials explaining key points of the Act in an easy-to-understand manner to help both freelancers and orderers gain an accurate understanding of the Act. The video will be available on the official PIVOT YouTube channel.
The video features a dialogue between Mr. Hasen Kuniyama, a former TBS announcer, and a JFTC official. Together, they discuss the obligations and prohibited practices under the Act aimed at ensuring fair transactions between freelancers and businesses.
Following the first phase, the JFTC will again launch internet advertisements in collaboration with “Shikibu-chan” as well as video ads on Tokyo Metro and JR East train screens. Please look forward to the new train-car videos, which will feature different content from the first phase.
In addition, as in the first phase, the JFTC will hold four online briefing sessions and six in-person sessions at its local offices to explain the Act. Based on feedback from participants in the sessions held between July and August, the online seminars will be co-hosted with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and will include explanations and Q&A sessions on improving working environments. Furthermore, the JFTC will also provide explanations on the revised sections of the Interpretation Guidelines of the Freelance Act, which were finalized and published on October 1, along with recent recommendation cases.
Some of the in-person sessions at local offices are already fully booked, but we encourage you to take part in the online seminars as well. We look forward to your participation.
The JFTC will continue to provide clear and accessible information for both freelancers and orderers, and will remain committed to actively promoting public awareness of the Freelance Act.
(Tentative translation)
