October 28, 2026
Japan Fair Trade Commission
Public Outreach Activities Through School Education
Today, I would like to talk about the JFTC’s initiatives for public outreach activities through school education.
The JFTC has been organizing the Antimonopoly Act Class for students who are expected to play key roles in future economic activities, providing lessons to help them understand the significance and necessity of competition, the contents of the Antimonopoly Act, and the role of the JFTC.
For university students, the Antimonopoly Act Class offers programs designed to provide practical learning opportunities. In addition to explaining the basic concepts of the Antimonopoly Act and the role of competition policy, these programs examine key issues using case studies of Antimonopoly Act violations and introduce competition policy concepts based on the findings of market studies, helping students understand the kinds of issues that arise in practice and the approaches taken to address them.
On the other hand, sessions for junior high and high school students incorporate “simulation games,” in which students take on the roles of businesses and consumers to simulate the buying and selling of products, as well as mock on-site inspections and mock interviews, allowing them to learn about the importance of competition through hands-on experience.
We have received positive feedback from school teachers on the Antimonopoly Act Class, including comments that the lessons allow students to experience what it is like to participate in economic activities. They have also noted that, because the classes are delivered at schools by JFTC officials engaged in practical work, students can view the topics as real-world issues rather than simply acquiring knowledge. In fiscal year 2025 as well, the program was used by a large number of schools—a total of 204, ranging from junior high schools to universities.
While the role of the JFTC as the enforcement authority of the Antimonopoly Act remains unchanged, we have been strengthening our efforts in areas such as ensuring a fair trading environment and promoting a competitive market environment. In particular, we believe that helping students learn about initiatives such as the introduction of regulations under the Act on Ensuring Proper Transactions Involving Specified Entrusted Business Operators (the Freelance Act) and market studies of transaction practices in various industries will provide them with a foundation for making appropriate decisions when they enter the workforce and play a role in the economy and society. We therefore believe that incorporating programs related to these initiatives into our public outreach activities through school education will also be beneficial to students.
As I mentioned at a regular press conference last year, in fiscal year 2025, we began offering outreach sessions focusing on explaining the Freelance Act for vocational school students and others who may work as freelancers in the future. We have already held seven such sessions in fiscal year 2026, including one at Tokyo Communication Arts this past Monday.
Furthermore, in June this year, the JFTC jointly formulated the “Guidelines to Ensure Proper Transactions for Creators at Film Production Sites” and the “Guidelines to Ensure Proper Transactions for Creators at Anime Production Sites” with the Secretariat of Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Office. In light of this, we have decided to offer outreach sessions for vocational school students and others who may work in film or anime production in the future. In these new sessions, we plan to introduce points to keep in mind in transactions and provide information on where to seek advice in the event of problems, while explaining the key points of the guidelines. Starting this December, we plan to hold these sessions at universities and vocational schools that offer specialized programs in video and animation production.
To help more students understand the significance of competition policy and the importance of a fair market environment, the JFTC intends to continue enhancing and expanding its outreach sessions, including the Antimonopoly Act Class, by tailoring the themes and delivery methods to meet diverse needWe hope that educators will learn about the JFTC’s initiatives for public outreach activities through school education and make use of them as engaging opportunities for students to learn about the concepts of the market economy and the Antimonopoly Act, as well as issues arising in real-world economic activities.s, taking into account participants’ ages and areas of interest as well as the needs of schools.
We hope that educators will learn about the JFTC’s initiatives for public outreach activities through school education and make use of them as engaging opportunities for students to learn about the concepts of the market economy and the Antimonopoly Act, as well as issues arising in real-world economic activities.
If you are interested, please feel free to contact the Secretariat’s General Affairs Division or any of our Local Offices or Branch Offices.
（Tentative translation）
