Overview
- Court-authorized searches on September 10–11 covered company headquarters, branches, and the homes of sales staff tied to corporate diesel sales.
- Authorities suspect the firms coordinated prices for fleet customers in Tokyo through regular monthly meetings, information exchanges, and a rotating convener system.
- The commission invoked its criminal-investigation authority for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics bid‑rigging case, signaling potential criminal charges.
- The expanded operation follows May inspections in Kanagawa that pointed to similar pricing practices and led investigators to widen the scope.
- The eight targeted companies are estimated to control at least a majority of the fleet diesel market, raising concerns about logistics costs despite roughly ¥8 trillion in fuel subsidies since 2022.