Japan FTC to Warn NPB over Fuji TV Press Pass Denial

   Tokyo, May 20 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Fair Trade Commission has decided to warn the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, or NPB, that its confiscation of press passes from Fuji Television Network Inc. likely violated the antimonopoly law, informed sources said.
   The NPB said Monday that it has been notified by the FTC of the planned warning.
   The baseball governing body said it cannot accept the warning as there are "serious inaccuracies in the factual findings and assessments" on which the warning is based, adding that it will express its official position after the warning is issued.
   The antitrust watchdog will make a final decision after questioning NPB officials.
   According to the sources, Fuji TV broadcast a digest of the Major League Baseball World Series, in which Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani appeared, during the same time slot as a game of the Japan Series professional baseball championships that was aired live by a rival broadcaster. The Japan Series ran between October and November last year.

(2025/05/20-13:40)