Japan: Withdrawn injunction in JFTC investigation into Rakuten Group for alleged abuse of a superior bargaining position

On 10 March 2020, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) withdrew its injunction from the Tokyo District Court. After Rakuten allowed all merchants to decide if they wanted to participate in the proposed measures or not, JFTC withdrew its injunction but will continue to investigate Rakuten. The JFTC originally filed the injunction in an effort to halt the "Shipping Inclusive Program Measures" by Rakuten which would prevent all merchants on its platform from receiving delivery fees from the respective purchasers. According to the JFTC, Rakuten Group violated Article 19 of the Japanese Antimonopoly Act.