Overview
- The commission has delivered draft exclusion and surcharge proposals to the North Shinshu branch and several station operators and is now accepting their comments before formalizing penalties.
- Investigators say the branch repeatedly communicated planned retail price hikes and cuts among about 70 member stations since December 2024 to manipulate gasoline prices.
- A June report by a third-party committee appointed by the prefectural dealers association found improper price adjustments across three branches with the headquarters’ tacit approval.
- Governor Shuichi Abe publicly criticized the dealers association at the end of July and has urged comprehensive organizational reforms to restore consumer trust.
- Retail gasoline prices in Nagano have fluctuated since the cartel revelations and reached ¥180 per liter on August 4, the highest rate in Japan.