Japan Fair Trade Commission Investigates Google for Potential Antitrust Violations on Mobile Platforms

Japan's competition watchdog, the Japan Fair Trade Commission, has opened an investigation into Google regarding alleged antitrust violations in search practices on mobile platforms. The JFTC is examining whether Google made agreements with Android smartphone makers requiring them to prioritize Google's own apps and services or preventing them from installing rival search engines. Google's Android dominates the mobile operating system market, with close to 80% of smartphones worldwide. Google previously faced EU antitrust scrutiny over Android agreements resulting in a 2018 fine, and now faces allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice in an ongoing major antitrust trial that it violated anti-monopoly law through exclusive search engine agreements.