Kochi gasoline price alignment raises Japan antitrust concerns
By Genta Nakanishi ( September 7, 2026, 08:29 GMT | Insight) -- Gasoline pricing practices in Kochi Prefecture in western Japan have raised potential antitrust concerns following a media report alleging that retailers aligned displayed prices. The Japan Fair Trade Commission declined to comment on the report, while the local petroleum industry association denied coordinating prices or instructing retailers to align them.Gasoline pricing practices in Kochi Prefecture in western Japan have raised potential antitrust concerns after the Asahi Shimbun reported Monday that its analysis of about 20 years of government data found the prefecture’s average price for regular gasoline remained unusually stable for extended periods in 2022-24, while industry sources said retailers had aligned displayed prices through an “implicit understanding.”...
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