Tobu Top Tours, which has been disposed of by the Japan Tourism Agency, is entrusted with inbound business by the Japan Tourism Agency, and is not subject to the agency's suspension of nomination
The Japan Tourism Agency announced on July 23, 2024 that it has selected Tobu Top Tours as the secretariat for the Reiwa 6 "Accommodation Facility Inbound Response Support Project". The company received a cease-and-desist order from the Japan Fair Trade Commission in May, but it does not apply to the Japan Tourism Agency's business.
This project is a subsidy project to promote inbound support and barrier-free accommodations. Tobu Top Tours will be in charge of supporting the overall business, such as recruiting lodging companies and paying subsidies. The company was selected from two applications for the Japan Tourism Agency's opening. The amount to be paid to the company is limited to 10% of the grant amount to be paid from the maximum subsidy amount of 104 million yen.
Tobu Top Tours was involved in bid-rigging in Aomori City's corona patient transportation business in FY2022, and received a cease-and-desist order for violating the Antimonopoly Act from the Japan Fair Trade Commission on May 30, 2024, along with JTB, Meitetsu Kanko Service, and Japan Travel Agency ( ※ ）。 As a result, the suspension of bidding nominations by prefectural and municipal governments has expanded on a nationwide scale, and this time we have been entrusted with the Japan Tourism Agency project.
In response to the cease and desist order of the Japan Fair Trade Commission, the Tohoku Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, which has jurisdiction over the Japan Tourism Agency, will open Tobu Top Tours from July 3 ~ September 2. Suspension of nomination However, it does not apply to regional transport bureaus and Japan Tourism Agency projects other than Tohoku.
In November 2023, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) conducted on-site inspections of bid-rigging cases involving major travel companies, after which an investigation began. Immediately after the inspection, Mr. Ichiro Takahashi, the head of the Japan Tourism Agency at the time, expressed his indignation at a regular press conference, saying that it was "extremely regrettable." The cease and desist order was issued on May 30, 2024, about six months after the on-site inspection. Mr. Takahashi retired from the Japan Tourism Agency on July 1.
Mr. Shigeto Kubo, Chairman and Executive Officer of Tobu Top Tours, is a former Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, and his predecessor, Mr. Yoshiaki Motobo, was the first Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency. The same post has been held by the Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency for the second generation in a row.
