Japan: Opened consultation on METI draft evaluation of the transparency and fairness of e-commerce platforms

On 13 December 2024, the Ministry of Environment, Trade and Industry (METI) opened a consultation, set to close on 20 January 2025, on a draft report evaluating the transparency and fairness of e-commerce platforms. This evaluation, conducted under the 2020 Act on Improving Transparency and Fairness of Specified Digital Platforms (Transparency Act), assesses platform compliance with transparency and fairness requirements. It focuses on platform practices, including ranking criteria for product listings, fee structures for merchants, and dispute resolution processes. The report allows METI to monitor platform practices and gather public feedback to encourage voluntary improvements by providers and inform future policy discussions.