Japan raids ice cream giants over price-fixing allegations
Osmond ChiaEconomic journalist
AFP via Getty Images
Japan’s competition watchdog has raided some of the country’s biggest ice cream makers over charges of allegedly forming a cartel to raise the price of their products.
Some companies, including Meiji and Pocky maker Ezaki Glico, said this week they had been subject to “on-site inspection” by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) over suspicion of fixing prices of frozen desserts.
The JFTC said it would not issue a statement regarding the investigation.
The companies are suspected of inflating ice cream prices beyond the rising cost of raw materials, even as the country faces a hot summer with record temperatures.
The six companies that were raided on Tuesday were Meiji, Morinaga Milk Industry, Lotte, Morinaga, Ezaki Glico and Akagi Nyugyo.
The BBC has contacted the companies for comment.
The companies have inappropriately raised the prices of popular desserts “several times, by 5 to 10 percent over the years,” according to Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing anonymous sources.
The brands distribute their products wholesale to supermarkets and convenience stores across Japan.
Morinaga Milk, Glico and Meiji said in separate statements that they would cooperate with authorities’ investigation.
“As some media reported today, our company was subject to an on-site inspection by the Fair Trade Commission on suspicion of violating the Anti-Monopoly Law in connection with fixing sales prices of ice cream and other products,” Meiji said.
“We take this inspection very seriously and will cooperate fully with the Fair Trade Commission’s investigation,” snack maker Hello Panda wrote.
Glico said: “We will respond in good faith to the Fair Trade Commission’s investigation and cooperate fully.”
Earlier this year, Japan unveiled a new name for days reaching 40°C (104°F) or higher, after the country experienced its hottest summer on record in 2025.
Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama in Tokyo
