In June 2019, the Fair Trade Commission published “Points of a Survey Report on Abuse Acts of Superior Position Targeting Manufacturer's Know-how and Intellectual Property Rights”.

In recent years, the importance of protecting intellectual property in business activities has increased, and in light of the indication that “operating companies in superior positions are improperly absorbing know-how and intellectual property rights from manufacturers” A survey of the actual conditions started in March, and a written survey was conducted at 30,000 manufacturers (26,300 SMEs / 3,700 large companies) for the purpose of collecting examples of know-how and intellectual property rights.

Japan Fair Trade Commission
https://www.jftc.go.jp/houdou/pressrelease/2019/jun/190614_files/houkokusyo.pdf