Beijing, December 23 (Xinhua) -- According to multiple Japanese media reports on the 22nd, the Japan Fair Trade Commission has determined that Google, a US company, has engaged in monopolistic behavior in the Japanese market and will order rectification.
According to sources cited by Kyodo News, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and other media outlets, after an investigation by the Fair Trade Commission, Google has determined that it requires Android phone manufacturers to pre install other Google owned software such as Chrome browser on their phones, with the software icon located in a prominent position on the phone screen, as a condition for allowing the installation of its application store "Google Marketplace".
The Fair Trade Commission also found that Google's provision of advertising revenue sharing to mobile phone manufacturers in exchange for them not pre installing competitor software on their phones also violates monopoly laws.
The report said that the Fair Trade Commission will require Google to stop the above-mentioned practices and has informed the Japanese side of the possible punishment measures. A formal decision will be made after receiving a response from the other party.
In recent years, the Japan Fair Trade Commission has launched anti-monopoly investigations against large technology companies such as Google, Apple, and Amazon. This will be the first time that rectification orders have been issued to such investigation targets.