Overview
- The Japan Fair Trade Commission conducted on‑site inspections of Meiji, Morinaga Milk, Morinaga & Co., Lotte, Akagi Nyugyo and Ezaki Glico on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 to seize documents and question staff.
- Investigators suspect the six firms may have agreed to raise wholesale and suggested retail prices for mass‑market ice products in 10–20 yen steps, a pattern seen in price changes announced in 2024 and 2025.
- Reporting says company managers and executives held regular meetings and exchanged information by email, and regulators are focusing on those records to assess whether those exchanges amounted to an unlawful cartel.
- All six companies publicly cited higher logistics, raw‑material and energy costs when they announced the staged increases, a justification that the commission will test against internal pricing and shipment data.
- Industry data show 2025 shipment value hit a record ¥663.1 billion even as volumes fell, consumers have expressed anger at possible collusion, and the probe could force clearer cost disclosures and change trust in food pricing.