EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Competition

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 14/03/2024

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32024M11430

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 14.3.2024 C(2024) 1828 final

PUBLIC VERSION

Mitsubishi Corporation, 3-1, Marunouchi 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8086 Japan

KDDI Corporation, 3-10-10, Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8460 Japan

Dear Sir or Madam,

(1) On 19 February 2024, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation, by which Mitsubishi Corporation (‘Mitsubishi’, Japan) and KDDI Corporation (‘KDDI’, Japan) intend to acquire, within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation, joint control of the whole of Lawson, Inc (‘Lawson’, Japan), which is currently solely controled by Mitsubishi.

The concentration is to be accomplished by way of public bid announced for early 3 April 2024.()

(2) The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:

— Mitsubishi is a global trading company active in various industries including energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, food, and general merchandise,

1( ) OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’) has introduced certain changes, such as the replacement of ‘Community’ by ‘Union’ and ‘common market’ by ‘internal market’. The terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.

2() OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 (the ‘EEA Agreement’).

3() OJ C, C/2024/1754, 27.2.2024.

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111

— KDDI is a telecommunications company.

(3) The business activities of Lawson are the following:

— Lawson is active in the retail supply of daily consumer goods through convenience stores, mainly in Japan and also in Asia and the USA.

(4) After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger Regulation and of paragraph 5(a) of the Commission Notice on a simplified treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.()

(5) For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified treatment, the European Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.

For the Commission

(Signed) Olivier GUERSENT Director-General

4( ) OJ C 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1 (the ‘Notice on a simplified treatment’).

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