The Fair Trade Commission said Tuesday it has ordered Nippon Yusen K.K. to pay around ¥13.1 billion as a penalty for setting up an illegal cartel to raise fares for car carriers.

The figure is the biggest amount for a single firm in violation of the antimonopoly law.

The commission also ordered Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. to pay about ¥5.7 billion, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, headquartered in Norway, to pay ¥3.5 billion, and Nissan Motor Car Carrier Co., a subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., to pay ¥423 million.

According to the commission, the companies decided between themselves the size of increase in car transportation fares from Japan to North America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania in violation of the antimonopoly law from at least January 2008 to September 2012, when authorities moved to inspect the four companies.

Nippon Yusen, known as NYK Line and which is one of the country's three-biggest shipping firms together with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Kawasaki Kisen, offered an apology.