The Fair Trade Commission, which was conducting an investigation on the suspicion that the nationwide ramen chain "Ichiran" had requested not to reduce the price of instant noodles sold at convenience stores, submitted by Ichiran on the 19th. It was revealed that the recurrence prevention plan was approved.
Ichiran, headquartered in Fukuoka City, suspected that it had requested that instant ramen sold at convenience stores and supermarkets not be priced below the suggested retail price after 2018, the Fair Trade Commission said. Since March, we have been investigating on suspicion of "resale price restraint" in violation of the Antimonopoly Act.
According to the Japan Fair Trade Commission, Ichiran seems to have tried to prevent the brand from being damaged by the bargain sale, and in the case of cup noodles, it was a condition that the price would not be reduced from 490 yen including tax.
Last month, Ichiran submitted a "commitment plan" that included voluntary improvement measures to prevent recurrence, and the Fair Trade Commission approved the plan on the 19th.
The plan is to review compliance by canceling suspected behavior and creating new action guidelines to comply with antitrust laws.
If the plan is not implemented properly, the certification will be revoked.
Ichiran is a major tonkotsu ramen chain with 85 stores in Japan and overseas. "We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and concern to our customers and related parties. We will strive to ensure thorough compliance to prevent recurrence."