Japan raids ice cream giants over price-fixing allegations

The investigation on alleged cartel pricing of ice cream comes as Japan faces record summer temperatures. Japan ice cream giants raided over suspected price-fixing Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. A stack of packaged Japanese ice cream, a hand holding one pack on top of three others. Japan raids ice cream giants over price-fixing allegations Japan's competition watchdog has raided some of the country's biggest ice cream makers for allegedly forming a cartel to raise the price of their products. Some of the firms, including Meiji and Pocky maker Ezaki Glico, said this week that they have been subject to an "on-site inspection" by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) over suspicions that they fixed the prices of frozen desserts. The JFTC said it is not releasing a statement regarding the investigation. The companies are suspected of inflating ice cream prices beyond increases in the cost of raw materials, even as the country faces a hot summer with record high temperatures. The six firms 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 firms improperly raised prices of popular desserts "several times by 5-10% 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 co-operate with the authorities' investigation. "As reported by some media outlets today, our company has been subject to an on-site inspection by the Fair Trade Commission on suspicion of violating the Antimonopoly Act in connection with the setting of sales prices for ice cream and other products," Meiji said. "We take this inspection very seriously and will cooperate fully with the Fair Trade Commission's investigation," the Hello Panda snack maker 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 that reach 40C (104F) or above, after the country experienced its hottest summer on record in 2025. The term - kokushobi - has been translated as "cruelly hot", "brutally hot" or "severely hot" day by Japanese and international media. kokushobi - has been translated as "cruelly hot", "brutally hot" or "severely hot" day by Japanese and international media. Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama in Tokyo A woman walking on the street shields herself with a parasol on June 17, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. Japan reveals new name for 40C-and-hotter days after blistering summer Two people walking across a road in heavy rain in Myanmar, with traffic in the background. They are holding umbrellas, as the rain bounces off the road crossing El Niño under way and threatens weather extremes, scientists say Elon Musk's rocket firm has overtaken the retail and media empire in value after a surge in its share price. The Bank of Japan has been raising rates from near-zero since 2024. Helium-3 is expensive and demand is forecast to soar, so some are planning to mine it on the moon. Watch as Japan's Daichi Kamada brings his side level to the Netherlands in their Group F fixture in the 2026 World Cup.