Japan Orders Google to Cease 'Pressuring' Phone Firms Over Search App Pre-Installs

2025-04-15 07:59:30

(MENAFN) Japan's antitrust regulator has ordered Google to cease “unfairly pressuring” smartphone manufacturers into preinstalling its search application, marking the first such directive against the tech giant in the country, media source reported Tuesday.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) ruled that Google's dominant position in the online search market led to violations of competition laws, significantly distorting fair market practices.

Investigators found that since July 2020, Google required six Android smartphone makers to preload its apps - including the Chrome browser - as a condition for using its operating system. These arrangements affected over 80 percent of Android devices sold in Japan.

The commission also revealed Google struck revenue-sharing deals with four device manufacturers and one mobile carrier, offering advertising income in exchange for blocking competitors' apps on their devices.

The JFTC's intervention comes amid growing global scrutiny of Big Tech's market dominance, with regulators worldwide challenging perceived anticompetitive practices in the digital ecosystem.

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