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영어

On March 12, 2019, the Japanese Cabinet approved and submitted to the Diet a bill (“Bill”) to amend the Act on Prohibition of Private Monopolization and Maintenance of Fair Trade (“Anti-monopoly Act”, “AMA”). The main purpose of the Bill is to deter antitrust law violations by promoting the cooperation of companies themselves in investigating antitrust law violations and providing for appropriate administrative fines when violations are found. Current legislation stipulates that, when companies file a leniency application before the official initiation of a JFTC investigation (i.e., dawn raid), the first applicant is eligible to receive 100% immunity from any subsequent surcharge payment order, the second applicant is eligible to receive a 50% reduction and other applicants receive a 30% reduction (up to five applicants in total). When companies file a leniency application after the official initiation of a JFTC investigation, they are eligible to receive a 30% reduction (up to three applicants after the dawn raid or up to five applicants including the applicants before the official initiation of the investigation). If the leniency application is completed and the applicant complies with certain requirements such as ongoing cooperation with the JFTC, the reward granted accordingly to the applicant (i.e., immunity or amount of reduction) is automatically determined in accordance with the law. After the Amendment is effectuated, when companies file a leniency application before the official initiation of a JFTC investigation, the first applicant is eligible to receive 100% immunity from any subsequent surcharge payment order (same as the current legislation), the second applicant is eligible to receive a 20% reduction, the third to fifth applicants receive a 10% reduction and the sixth or subsequent applicants will receive a 5% reduction. When companies file a leniency application after the official initiation of a JFTC investigation, they are eligible to receive a 10% reduction up to three applicants after the dawn raid or up to five applicants including the applicants before the official initiation of the investigation, and subsequent applicants will receive a 5% reduction. With regard to the second and after applicants before the official initiation of a JFTC investigation, a 40% reduction utmost may be added to the foregoing percentages, depending on and considering the degree of cooperation by the applicants to the investigative process. With regard to the applicants after the official initiation of a JFTC investigation, such potential addition to the reduction percentage amount shall be 20% at the maximum. Such additional reduction amount shall be finally determined by an agreement between the JFTC and the company concerned after discussion. The JFTC’s policy is not to file a criminal accusation for an officer or employee of the first-in leniency applicant, but other leniency applicants may be subject to a criminal penalty. The leniency applications will not have any impact on civil liability.

한국어

일본에서 과징금감면제도는(Leniency) 2005년 독점금지법 개정시에 도입되었다. 이 제도는 위반행위에 관한 사실을 公正取引委員會에 자주적으로 보고한 사업자에 대하여는, 그 신청시기 나 신청순위에 응하여 과징금을 면제 또는 감액한다고 하는 은혜를 주는 것으로, 위반행위의 신속하고 효율적인 실태해명을 꾀하는 것을 목적으로 하고 있다. 2019년 일본의 독점금지법 개정은 과징금의 산정방법의 개선, 조사협력감산제도의 도입, 변 호사비밀특권의 도입 등 경쟁법실무에 큰 영향을 주는 것이고 이후 그 운용의 동향을 주시할 필요가 있다. 개정전에는 카르텔의 대상으로 된 상품의 국내매출이 없는 경우에 과징금을 과하 는 것이 어려웠고, 과징금의 감면률이 고정되어 있어서 감면의 신청자의 조사협력을 충분히 얻 기 힘들다는 문제가 지적되었다. 개정에 의해 과징금의 산정에 대하여는 그 기초를 확충함과 함께, 公正取引委員會에 과징금감산의 일정한 재량을 주어 신청자의 조사에의 협력을 이끌어내 기 쉽도록 하였다. 조사협력의 확충을 지원하는 것으로서 변호사의 조언을 쉽게 얻을 수 있도록 비밀특권이 인정되었다. 과징금제도의 개선으로 公正取引委員會가 부과할 수 있는 과징금액도 대폭적으로 증가하는 것이 예상되므로 사업자들의 더 철저하고 강도 높은 컴플라이언스가 요구된다.