Little has been written on Japanese contract law and anti-trust law in Western languages. This book describes the role of this law in protecting the distributor against unilateral terminations of distribution agreements. There have been significant pressures both to lower prices and restructure distribution channels in Japan which have strained many distribution agreements. This volume, based primarily on Japanese language legal material, not only involves a study of applicable black-letter law, but also a sociological study of its application in practice. Detailed analysis has been made in particular of famous legal termination cases during the 1990s in the Japanese luxury cosmetics distribution system which generated influential decisions by the higher courts and the Fair Trade Commission, providing new insights into whether or not there are distinct Japanese attitudes towards contracts.
Author(s): Visser t'Hooft
Edition: 1
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 232
Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Table of contents......Page 5
Acknowledgements......Page 8
List of abbreviations......Page 10
1 THE JAPANESE INTEREST IN CONTINUING DOMESTIC TRADE RELATIONSHIPS......Page 12
2 DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS, DEFINITION AND TERMINOLOGY......Page 14
2.1 Standard Patterns in the Phrasing of Distribution Agreements......Page 15
2.3 Differences with other Agreements within the Japanese Distribution Sector......Page 16
3 UNILATERAL TERMINATION OF DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS......Page 17
3.1 Recent Causes for Unilateral Terminations by Manufacturers......Page 18
4 PROBLEMS FOR DISTRIBUTORS AND THE LEGAL RESPONSE......Page 20
4.1 Contract Law......Page 21
5 THE MAIN PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY......Page 22
6 STRUCTURE OF THIS STUDY......Page 24
6.1 Case Studies within the Luxury Cosmetics Industry......Page 25
6.2 Comparative Approach......Page 26
6.3 Dutch Law and Practice as a ‘Comparative Illustration’......Page 27
7 DISCUSSION ON JAPANESE ATTITUDES TOWARD CONTRACTS......Page 28
8 EXPLANATION OF THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS......Page 30
1 INTRODUCTION......Page 32
2.1 Introduction......Page 33
2.2 Article 1 of the Japanese Civil Code......Page 34
2.4 Provisions on Commercial Agency Agreements......Page 35
3.1 Introduction......Page 36
Distribution Agreements of Unspecified Duration......Page 38
Serious Breach of Contract......Page 39
Non-renewal of the Contract......Page 42
Intermediate Termination......Page 45
Compensation and Notice Requirements......Page 47
3.3 Summary......Page 49
4 LEGAL LITERATURE......Page 50
5 A BRIEF COMPARISON WITH THE DUTCH JUDICIAL APPROACH......Page 53
6.1 Introduction......Page 54
6.2 Full Civil Procedure......Page 55
6.3 Injunction Procedures......Page 57
7 CONCLUSION......Page 58
1 INTRODUCTION......Page 62
General Information about the Act......Page 63
Relevant Code Provisions......Page 64
Introduction......Page 66
Relevant Provisions......Page 67
2.3 A Brief Comparison with EU and Dutch Substantive Anti-trust Law......Page 69
3.1 Fair Trade Commission......Page 70
3.2 Procedures before the FTC......Page 71
4.1 Introduction......Page 74
4.2 Claim for Specific Performance......Page 76
Miyagi Family Club v. Nihon Columbia......Page 77
4.3 Claim for Damages......Page 78
4.4 Recent Cases in the 1990s......Page 79
Jeans case......Page 80
Oppen Cosmetics case......Page 81
Shiseido and Kao v.Discounters......Page 82
4.5 Japanese Legal Literature......Page 85
Recent Moves towards Stronger Private Law Enforcement......Page 87
4.6 A Brief Comparison with EU and Dutch Anti-trust Law......Page 88
5.1 Complaint......Page 89
5.2 Indirect Influence upon the Civil Courts......Page 90
6 CONCLUSION......Page 91
1 INTRODUCTION......Page 94
2 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE JAPANESE LUXURY COSMETICS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM......Page 98
3.1 The Relationship between Shiseido and Fujiki before the Cancellation......Page 102
3.2 The Unilateral Termination of the Chain Store Agreement by Shiseido......Page 104
3.3 Response by Fujiki......Page 108
4 KAO V. EGAWAKIKAKU......Page 111
5 VICTORIES FOR DISCOUNTERS BEFORE THE TOKYO DISTRICT COURT......Page 114
6 LEADING COSMETICS MANUFACTURERS V. KAWACHIYA......Page 118
7 THE FIRST TOKYO HIGH COURT DECISION IN FAVOUR OF SHISEIDO (SEPTEMBER 1994)......Page 122
8 THE FTC RECOMMENDATION AGAINST SHISEIDO (JUNE 1995)......Page 126
9 THE SECOND TOKYO HIGH COURT DECISION IN FAVOUR OF KAO (JULY 1997)......Page 131
10 THE SUPREME COURT DECISION (DECEMBER 1998)......Page 134
11 CONCLUSION......Page 138
1 INTRODUCTION......Page 144
2.2 Distribution Agreements......Page 145
Introduction......Page 146
Provisions on the Principle of Good Faith......Page 147
Provisions on the General Conditions of Contract......Page 148
Provisions on the Commercial Agency Agreement......Page 149
3.2 Dutch Summary Procedure......Page 150
Distribution Agreements of Unspecified Duration......Page 151
Reasons for Termination......Page 152
Distribution Agreements of Specified Duration......Page 153
Compensation and Notice Requirements......Page 154
3.4 Conclusion......Page 157
Comparison with Japanese Law......Page 158
4.1 Introduction......Page 159
Substantive EU Anti-trust Law......Page 160
Public Law Enforcement of EU Anti-trust Law......Page 164
Substantive Dutch Anti-trust Law......Page 165
Public Law Enforcement by means of the Dutch Competition Authority......Page 166
EU Anti-trust Law......Page 168
Dutch Anti-trust Law......Page 170
Complaints to the Commission or to the Dutch Competition Authority......Page 171
Chilly v. G-Star......Page 173
4.5 Conclusion......Page 175
Comparison with Japanese Law......Page 176
5.1 Introduction......Page 177
5.2 Different Legal Disputes to those in Japan......Page 178
5.3 The Distribution System for Luxury Cosmetics in the Netherlands......Page 180
The Relationship between the Subsidiary/Exclusive Importer and the Selected Retailer......Page 181
Unilateral terminations......Page 183
– Chanel v. Oosenburg......Page 185
– Devecos v. Drogisterij Shalom......Page 186
– Muehlens v. Etos......Page 187
5.5 Conclusion......Page 188
1 INTRODUCTION......Page 190
2 THE EMPHASIS ON CULTURAL FACTORS......Page 191
3 CRITICISM OF THE EMPHASIS ON CULTURAL FACTORS......Page 195
4 MY OWN CONCLUSION......Page 198
Bibliography......Page 206
HIGH COURTS......Page 218
DISTRICT COURTS......Page 219
FTC DECISIONS......Page 220
DISTRICT COURTS......Page 222
DUTCH COMPETITION AUTHORITY......Page 223
COMMISSION DECISIONS......Page 224
Publications in the Meijers Series......Page 226
OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF THE E.M.MEIJERS INSTITUUT:......Page 228
Curriculum vitae......Page 230
