Tokyo, Japan, 8 December 2017 – A Training Course on Enhancing the Effectiveness of a Competition Authority in Enforcement and Advocacy was timely convened as many competition authorities across ASEAN, are in the process of establishing or reforming their institutions. The three-day Training Course covers various topics including strategic planning, ethics and accountability, knowledge management, public relation management, as well as managing cooperation and coordination with stakeholders.

Mr. Kazuhiro Hara, Director of International Affairs Division, Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), highlighted the importance of the training course for both young authorities and established authorities as striving towards effective enforcement is a continuous process. The training was facilitated by JFTC and Commission for the Supervision of Business Competition of the Republic of Indonesia (KPPU)  in which KPPU shared their experience in overcoming the challenges faced during the initial period of its establishment. JFTC further shared its experience in developing its strategic plan, managing stakeholder relations, and evaluating its policy to ensure the effectiveness of its operation. It was further emphasized that in light of a more globalised market and the interconnected nature of economic activities, businesess are progressively changing the way they do business. Thus, there is a need to balance policy enforcement and the authority’s discretion in responding to current economic and social issues.

The Training Course is part of a series of activities supported by the Japan ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), was attended by 24 officials from competition authorities of ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat.