Japan raids stores over school uniform cartel

The cost of school uniforms weighs heavily on many a parent’s budget, and in Japan authorities have got involved, raiding one of the country’s biggest department stores on suspicion of price collusion.

Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores and its subsidiary were raided yesterday by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, according to the firms’ parent J. Front Retailing.

“We take this situation very seriously and will fully cooperate with the inspection,” J. Front Retailing said in a brief statement.

The department store chain, along with several other local vendors, is suspected of colluding to keep prices high for uniforms for five public high schools in Aichi region in central Japan.