The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has suspended Taisei Corporation and Kajima Corporation from business for four months, through March 2027, after their convictions for collusion over construction of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen — the maglev line planned between Tokyo and Nagoya — became final.
The suspension bars the two major contractors from taking part in new tenders and contracts for private-sector civil engineering work during the period.
The penalty follows a bid-rigging case in which former executives of both companies and the corporations themselves were convicted. Their guilty verdicts became final in September, according to NHK.
Four months is a short suspension for companies of this size, and it leaves their role in one of Japan's largest public infrastructure programs largely intact. The maglev line is a project of national significance, and both firms are among the country's largest general contractors.