Japan’s Fair Trade Commission has searched the offices of four major brewers as part of an investigation into whether they coordinated price increases in violation of the country’s antimonopoly laws. The companies—Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory—collectively control approximately 90% of Japan’s beer market, according to ABC Australia’s reporting. Investigators are examining suspicions that pricing decisions were coordinated over several years, during which manufacturers cited rising ingredient, energy and transportation expenses. All four companies have acknowledged the investigation and indicated they will cooperate. No antitrust violation has been established. The inquiry illustrates the regulatory challenge of distinguishing legitimate industrywide responses to inflation from unlawful coordination among competitors whose pricing decisions affect millions of consumers.