Japan has initiated a probe against Google over possible violations of antitrust laws. The investigation will focus on whether the search engine giant abused its market position to block rival services.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will investigate Google’s potential violations of the country’s Antimonopoly Act, focusing on whether the company compelled Android smartphone makers to prioritise its search engines on their devices against competing services.
The probe intensifies scrutiny around Google’s business practices, particularly those related to web search services. Google has already been taken to court in the US by federal regulators, who have accused the company of blocking competitors, including new startups, by abusing its market position.
The lawsuit, brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in September, says Google maintains its dominance over the browsing market through exclusive deals with other tech giants in exchange for a default placement of its search engines.
Google pays “billions of dollars” to manufacturers such as Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung to ensure Google’s search engine is set as the default option on their devices, the complaint says.
Google, however, responded by saying that people use its services because of their quality. “Making it easier for people to get the products they want benefits consumers and is supported by American antitrust law,” it said.
In April, Google was fined nearly $32 million by South Korea for other antitrust violations in connection with gaming apps. The financial penalty arrived after the Korea Fair Trade Commission found that Google had blocked the release of mobile video games by a local rival, One Store.
The regulator also accused Google of forcing game developers to release their titles exclusively on Google’s Play Store in exchange for in-app promotion and support for overseas product launches.
Earlier in January, Google was sued by the DOJ and eight US states for its monopoly over the digital advertising market. The company was accused of engaging in anti-competitive and exclusionary practices to neutralise or eliminate ad tech competitors through acquisitions.
Google forced publishers and advertisers to use its products, restricting the use of competing services, the complaint highlighted.
The search engine giant has also been fined $162 million by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for forcing app developers to use its in-house billing system.
