October 21, 2026
Japan Fair Trade Commission
Meetings with Experts and “JFTC Day” to Be Held
Today, I would like to introduce the upcoming Meetings with Experts and “JFTC Day” events.
First, the JFTC holds Meetings with Experts in major cities across Japan each year, usually in autumn. This year, the meetings will be held in eight cities from November 26 to December 10.
At the Meetings with Experts, the Commissioners or the Secretary General of the JFTC will exchange opinions with experts from local business organizations, consumer groups, academics, and the press. These meetings aim to further deepen their understanding of competition policy, while also allowing the JFTC to learn about actual circumstances of each region, as well as to hear opinions and proposals from participants.
In particular, in the area of ensuring fair transactions, the JFTC has been actively enforcing the SME Transactions Act since it came into effect in January this year. There have also been cases in which the Act has been applied based on the newly introduced employee-based criteria.
To further promote fair transactions in areas not covered by the SME Transactions Act, the Guidelines Concerning Abuse of Superior Bargaining Position under the Antimonopoly Act have been amended, and the amended Logistics Special Designations and the Payment Notification are scheduled to come into effect in April next year.
We would like to hear a wide range of views on how well these newly established rules are understood, the challenges businesses face in conducting transactions under them, their impact on regional economies, and what local stakeholders expect from the JFTC in implementing and enforcing these rules.
On a related note, price increases have accelerated further since September, and responding to rising prices, which have a significant impact on corporate profitability, has become a major challenge for businesses. We would also like to hear how businesses are dealing with this situation. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we will also visit factories and other facilities of local businesses to exchange opinions with business operators.
The JFTC aims to promote effective and appropriate competition policies that fully reflect the actual circumstances of each region by having the Commissioners and the Secretary General hear first-hand insights from local experts and business operators and directly experience the regional realities through such initiatives.
As in previous years, the JFTC plans to publish a summary of the opinions received at this year’s Meetings with Experts at a later date.
Next, I would like to talk about “JFTC Day.”
Each year, the JFTC conducts outreach activities under the name of “JFTC Day” in regions where it does not have offices, giving local residents an opportunity to learn more about the JFTC’s activities. JFTC staff visit these regions to promote awareness of the Antimonopoly Act, the SME Transactions Act and other laws, and to provide consultation services for business operators and consumers.
This fiscal year, the JFTC is again holding “JFTC Day” events in eight cities across Japan. The first event was held in Aomori City in September, and the remaining events are scheduled to take place from October through around February next year in Obihiro City (Hokkaido), Niigata City, Gifu City, Kyoto City, Shimonoseki City (Yamaguchi Prefecture), Kochi City, and Kumamoto City.
While the details of “JFTC Day” events vary slightly by location, the following sessions will be held at the event in Niigata City, organized by the JFTC Headquarters:
• “Briefing Session on the Freelance Act”: This session will explain the obligations and prohibited practices imposed on ordering parties that outsource work to freelancers under the Act on Ensuring Proper Transactions Involving Specified Entrusted Business Operators.
• “Training Session on the SME Transactions Act”: This session will cover the obligations and prohibited practices imposed on entrusting business operators under the SME Transactions Act, as well as practices regulated by the amended Logistics Special Designations and the Payment Notification under the Antimonopoly Act, both of which will come into effect in April next year.
• “Training Session on Antimonopoly Act Compliance Programs for Businesses”: This session will explain the initial steps to be taken by business owners and personnel responsible for establishing and implementing Antimonopoly Act compliance programs.
• “Training Session on the Act on Elimination and Prevention of Involvement in Bid Rigging, etc., and Related Laws”: This session will target officials in charge of procurement at local governments and other public entities.
Each venue offers briefing sessions on several laws under the jurisdiction of the JFTC, and participants can ask JFTC staff questions directly. We hope these sessions will attract a wide range of people interested in the JFTC’s activities, including business operators who commission or undertake work, freelancers, personnel in corporate compliance departments, lawyers who advise businesses, and members of the media covering business-to-business transactions. Those interested can register using the form on the JFTC’s website.
Through the Meetings with Experts and “JFTC Day” initiatives, we aim to deepen public understanding of competition policy and the JFTC’s activities, making them more relatable and accessible to everyone.
（Tentative translation）
