日本冰淇淋巨頭捲入甜蜜的價格操縱醜聞！

Japan is currently experiencing a record-breaking hot summer, and many people are turning to ice cream to help them cool off. However, some of the country’s largest ice cream companies are now under investigation for possibly working together to raise the prices of their products. This practice is known as price-fixing, and it is illegal because it stops companies from competing fairly and can make things more expensive for customers. The companies being investigated include Meiji, Morinaga Milk Industry, Lotte, Morinaga, Ezaki Glico, and Akagi Nyugyo. These brands are well-known in Japan and their ice creams are sold in supermarkets and convenience stores all over the country.

The investigation is being led by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, or JFTC. This group is responsible for making sure that businesses follow the rules and do not cheat customers. The JFTC carried out what is called an 'on-site inspection,' which means they went to the offices of these companies to look for evidence. The companies are suspected of raising the prices of ice cream by 5 to 10 percent several times over the years, even when the cost of making ice cream did not go up as much. This means that the companies may have been trying to make extra profit by charging more than they needed to.

Some of the companies, like Meiji, Glico, and Morinaga Milk, have said they will cooperate with the investigation and take it seriously. They released statements saying they will work with the authorities to find out what happened. The JFTC has not made any public comments yet, and the investigation is still ongoing. This situation is especially important because Japan is having its hottest summer ever, with temperatures reaching above 40 degrees Celsius. The government even created a new term for these extremely hot days. As people try to stay cool, they want to be able to buy ice cream at a fair price. The outcome of this investigation will show whether the companies broke the rules and what will happen next.