The United States denounced Japan's Fair Trade Commission on July 23 following the release of a survey that found no illegal business practices by Fuji Photo Film Co. in the Japanese market.
In a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky criticized the FTC for its failure to sufficiently address "significant distribution problems that exist" in the Japanese photographic film and paper industry. "The exclusionary distribution system established by the government of Japan to thwart foreign competition remains in place," she said.
The statement says the FTC's report is "weak and woefully insufficient" in encouraging the enforcement of the Antimonopoly Law and reinforces Washington's reluctance to rely on the Japanese antitrust watchdog to address informal market access barriers faced. "While the Japanese government has sought to strengthen the JFTC over the past several years, it clearly has yet to develop into the type of strong and independent agency capable of effectively dealing with these issues," she said.