Japan’s most powerful advertising¹ agency is holding emergency talks with more than 100 clients to try to minimise damage from revelations that it overcharged Toyota for digital media sales.

日本最有影响力的广告公司电通集团(Dentsu)正在与100多位客户举行紧急会谈，试图尽可能地降低其数字媒体业务对丰田(Toyota)过度收费事件曝光带来的不良影响。

Following a dispute that has played out behind the scenes for months, Dentsu’s other clients have questioned more than 160 possible incidents of overcharging, according to advertising executives in Tokyo.

东京的广告业高管们表示，在数月幕后争论之后，电通的其他客户对逾160宗可能的过度收费事件提出质疑。

Dentsu controls about one-quarter of Japan’s annual $61bn advertising market, with Sony, Honda and Kao among its household-name clients.

在日本每年610亿美元规模的广告市场上，电通集团控制着大约四分之一的市场份额，索尼(Sony)、本田(Honda)和花王(Kao)等家喻户晓的公司都是它的客户。

It declined to comment on the total number of complaints it had received from clients, but said: There were some inappropriate operations related to digital media business transactions which have already been reported to the clients concerned.

电通拒绝透露总共收到了多少宗客户投诉，但是表示：在数字媒体业务交易方面存在一些不适当做法，已知会给相关客户。

Dentsu added that it was in consultation² with those clients over any further steps required.

该公司补充称，正在与那些客户就需要采取的任何进一步举措进行磋商。

Toyota said yesterday that it had been notified by Dentsu of irregularities in some digital media business transactions, but declined to provide details.

丰田昨日表示，电通已向自己告知一些数字媒体业务交易存在不合规之处，但丰田拒绝透露细节。

Though the sums involved are comparatively small, senior advertising executives said the exposure of any -malpractice by Dentsu had the potential to trigger a shake-up of Japan’s tightly-controlled advertising market.

尽管牵涉到的资金总数相对较小，但资深广告业高管们表示，电通任何不当行为的曝光，都有可能引发受到严格控制的日本广告市场的震动。

The agency’s influence in corporate³ Japan means it rarely attracts open criticism from either domestic media or clients.

电通在日本企业界影响巨大，这意味着它很少遭到国内媒体或客户的公开批评。

Dentsu’s extended empire of advertising agencies, brand consultancies and public relations subsidiaries includes ties with TV broadcasters and Japan’s two biggest news agencies — a network of influence that stretches deeply into corporate and public life, and which many believe gives it too much power.

由广告机构、品牌咨询机构和公关业务分支组成的庞大电通帝国与广播电视机构和日本两大新闻机构都关系密切——这种影响力网络深深地渗入至企业和公众生活当中，许多人认为这让该公司拥有了太大的势力。

Media industry analysts⁴ have suggested much of this power arises from Dentsu’s longstanding hold over digital and TV advertising slots — commodities it buys en masse, and resells to clients with a mark-up that often rankles⁵.

媒体行业分析师指出，这种力量很大程度上源于电通对数字和电视广告档位的长期把持——它打包购买广告档位，然后加价转售给客户（这种加价往往引发不满）。

Although Dentsu refused to name any of the clients affected⁶ by the inappropriate operations — or acknowledge that Toyota was among them — people close to the two companies suggested Japan’s largest carmaker had extracted a formal apology.

尽管电通拒绝透露具体哪些客户受到了不适当做法的影响，也拒绝承认丰田就是其中的一家，但知情人士表示，日本最大汽车制造商丰田得到了正式的道歉。