Japanese automakers have agreed to stop squeezing their suppliers and have committed to treating smaller companies more fairly.

The age-old practice of big corporations using their bargaining power to unjustly and sometimes illegally keep a lid on the prices charged by parts makers is of special concern these days as the country seeks to boost wages at small and midsize companies.

¡°We take this matter very seriously,¡± said Masanori Katayama, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), at a news conference on Thursday.