The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry suspends the appointment of five major travel companies - The Japan Tourism Agency, the supervisory authority, is currently taking no action

On July 25, 2024, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) decided to suspend subsidies and suspend appointments for five major travel companies. The suspension period is 2 months or 4 months, depending on the company. Based on the Japan Fair Trade Commission's cease and desist order, ministries and municipalities respond differently.

The problem stemmed from the fact that five companies, JTB, Japan Tourist, Meitetsu Kanko Service, Japan Travel Tohoku, and Tobu Top Tours, had been colluding in the bidding for the transfer of new coronavirus patients by Aomori City in FY2022. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will conduct on-site inspections of each company in November 2023 ( ※ As a result of the investigation, on May 30 this year, we issued cease and desist orders to four companies except Japan Tourist. Japan Tourist escaped the order by voluntarily reporting before the on-site inspection.

After the cease and desist order, the suspension of the four major travel companies spread in Aomori Prefecture and nationwide ( ※ ）。 In addition, Aomori City also suspended the nomination of Japan Tourist, which played a central role in bid-rigging, after the four companies ( ※ ）。

About two months after the cease-and-desist order of the Kotori, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced the suspension of the nomination of five companies, including Japan Tourist ( ※ ）。 The suspension period is two months for Japan Tourist, Japan Travel Tohoku, and Tobu Top Tours, and four months for JTB and Meitetsu Kanko Service. When asked about this measure, METI said, "After the order, we investigated the relationship between related organizations and travel agencies nationwide, and came to this measure based on the ministry's guidelines."

The Japan Tourism Agency, the regulatory authority for travel agencies, was suspended by the Tohoku Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on July 3, but it does not apply to the projects of other regional transport bureaus, the Japan Tourism Agency, and the Japan Tourism Organization. When I asked the Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan Tourism Organization, both replied, "Based on the guidelines of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, (the authorities) are located in Tokyo, so they cannot take measures." Since the order of the public prosecution, the suspension of the appointment of travel agents has spread nationwide in accordance with the guidelines of local governments.