Overview
- The Fair Trade Commission, which carried out raids on Tuesday, July 14, has opened a formal investigation into suspected violations of the Antimonopoly Act in Seven‑Eleven Japan’s refrigeration equipment tenders.
- Inspectors entered the offices of Fuji Electric, SDRS and Nakano Reiki after reports that the three manufacturers were the only regular bidders in many prefecture‑level contests and may have prearranged winners.
- Sources say the alleged scheme involved companies agreeing in advance which firm would win specific area contracts and raising bid prices, which would prevent normal price competition.
- The tender system gives each winning contractor exclusive rights to supply and install coolers for an area, and Seven‑Eleven buys the equipment and then leases it to franchise owners, so higher bid prices can translate into greater costs for the chain and for thousands of franchise operators.
- The probe is ongoing and focuses on witness interviews and evidence review; possible outcomes include administrative fines or orders, and companies contacted have limited or no public comment while the investigation continues.