Japan Fines 42 Firms for Bid-Rigging on Apartment Repairs
Listen to the story
Japan's government found a big problem with apartment repairs.
42 companies worked together to fix prices. This is called bid-rigging. It is against the law.
The companies repaired big apartment buildings in the Kanto area. Kanto is near Tokyo.
A group called the Fair Trade Commission checked the companies. They found the companies broke the law.
The government told the companies to pay fines. The total money is about 1.6 billion yen.
People who live in the apartments pay for repairs. This money is called repair fees.
The residents may have paid too much money. This is because of the bid-rigging.
One company said they did not make prices too high.
Now people ask: how can residents protect their money?
The government also told people the names of the apartment buildings.
People ask why the government shared these names.
Vocabulary7 words
- fix
- to make something stay the same on purpose
- bid-rigging
- when companies secretly agree on prices together, which is not fair
- Fair Trade Commission
- a government group that checks if companies are fair
- fines
- money you must pay as punishment
- repair fees
- money paid to fix a building
- resident
- a person who lives in a place
- protect
- to keep something safe
📚 Ready to use these words in a real conversation?
Practice live with a real tutor on Preply.
Quiz
Answer key
1. 42 2. They fixed prices together unfairly 3. True
✅ Nice work on the quiz!
Keep the momentum going — book a live English lesson with a Preply tutor.
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Japan's government found a big problem with apartment _____.
42 companies worked together to _____ prices.
This is called _____. It is against the law.
The companies repaired big apartment buildings in the _____ area.
A group called the Fair Trade Commission _____ the companies.
The government told the companies to pay _____.
The total money is about _____ billion yen.
People who live in the apartments pay for _____.
The residents may have paid too much _____.
Now people ask: how can residents _____ their money?
🎓 Enjoyed this story?
Turn today's reading into real speaking practice with a live Preply tutor.