February 4, 2026
Japan Fair Trade Commission
The 8th CPRC Osaka Symposium
Today, I would like to introduce the 8th Osaka Symposium to be held by the Competition Policy Research Center (CPRC) on Friday, February 27, in Osaka City.
The theme of the symposium is “Future Competition and Consumer Policy ~Toward 2030~.”
Currently, the CPRC is conducting research led by economic law scholars serving as CPRC visiting researchers, with the aim of establishing a framework for the future direction of competition law, consumer law, and personal information protection law toward 2030. Since October 2024, the CPRC has been holding a study group on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of topics related to these respective areas of law, and intends to compile the results of this research around March 2027.
At this symposium, among the themes covered by this study group, we will focus on merger review, regulation of the abuse of superior bargaining position, and consumer law. The program will consist of presentations by visiting researchers and discussions with economists and practitioners serving as discussants. In the latter half of the symposium, a Q&A session will be held, during which all speakers and discussants will engage in an interactive discussion by responding to questions from the in-person and online audiences, thereby deepening the overall exchange of views.
The symposium is organized by the CPRC, with the support of the Kansai Economic Federation, and is co-organized with the Osaka Bar Association, the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association, the Fair Trade Institute, and the Kobe University Center for Social Systems Innovation, etc.
Registration for participation has been open on the website of the CPRC since January 28. Details such as the venue, speakers, and the themes of each presentation are also available on the website. Please refer to it for further information.
The symposium will be held in a hybrid format, with both in-person and online participation. As it provides an opportunity for a CPRC event to be held in Osaka, we encourage those who live nearby to participate in person. We look forward to welcoming many participants.
（Tentative translation）
