The Japan Fair Trade Commission has taken a significant step in issuing cease-and-desist orders to JTB and three other travel agencies for bid-rigging in a project related to transporting COVID-19 patients. This marks the first time such action has been taken in connection to the ongoing pandemic, highlighting the seriousness of the matter.
Aside from JTB, the companies Tobu Top Tours, Nippon Travel Agency Tohoku, and Meitetsu World Travel were found to have breached antimonopoly laws. Kinki Nippon Tourist, although involved, escaped punishment by voluntarily reporting the violation.
The collusion among these companies aimed to secure profits by deciding in advance which company would win tenders from the city of Aomori. The profits, amounting to about ¥32 million, were divided amongst the companies involved.
This bid-rigging incident occurred during a time when travel demand was declining due to the pandemic. The watchdog has also called for preventive measures to be taken to avoid similar cases in the future.