The Croatian Competition Law and Policy Association (HDPPTN) is pleased to launch a new Comparative Competition Law Lecture Series, featuring international speakers working on different national and regional competition law regimes. This third lecture in the series will explore Japanese competition law. All HDPPTN members and interested guests are warmly invited to attend.
Event details:
- Speaker: Yuka Aoyagi, Hosei University, Tokyo
- Moderator: Jasminka Pecotić Kaufman, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics & Business
- Date: April 10, 2026
- Time: 17:30 – 19:30
- Venue: Faculty of Economics & Business, Univeristy of Zagreb – lecture hall 54
- Address: Kennedyjev trg 6, 10000 Zagreb
Title:
The Protection of Competition in Japan: Historical Background and the Contemporary Framework
Abstract: Japan’s system for protecting competition was introduced in 1947 with the Antimonopoly Act, enacted under significant external and domestic pressures in the aftermath of World War II. While often described as a transplant of U.S. antitrust law, its adoption also reflected structural features of the pre-war Japanese economy, including industrial concentration, cartelisation, and state-led coordination. This seminar briefly revisits these historical background conditions to situate the emergence of Japan’s competition regime. It then examines the contemporary framework of Japanese competition law, focusing on institutional design, enforcement practice, and recent policy developments, particularly in digital markets. By linking historical background with present-day regulatory challenges, the talk highlights the distinctive trajectory and ongoing evolution of competition protection in Japan.
About the Speaker: Yuka Aoyagi is Professor of Competition Law at Hosei University, Tokyo, and currently Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence. Her research focuses on Japanese and EU competition law from a comparative perspective, with particular emphasis on competition policy in digital markets, regulated industries, and the interface between competition law and intellectual property. She previously held tenured positions at Yokohama National University and Tokai University. She holds a Ph.D. in Law from Waseda University, LL.M. degree from New York University and Master in Law from Yokohama National University.