Catenaa, Saturday, April 19, 2025- Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) issued a cease and desist order against Google on Tuesday for unfair trade practices related to its search services on Android devices.
The commission found that Google had violated Japan’s anti-monopoly law by using licensing agreements with Android device manufacturers to require the preinstallation and prominent display of its search services, such as Google Search and Chrome.
Under the agreements, manufacturers like Samsung and Lenovo were forced to feature Google’s search services in exchange for permission to preinstall Google apps, including the Play Store, on their devices. The JFTC stated that Google also prohibited manufacturers from offering rival search services as part of its advertising revenue-sharing model. As of December 2024, at least six such agreements were in effect.
The move aligns with similar actions taken by other countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., in response to Google’s dominance in the search market. The JFTC’s investigation, which began in October 2023, culminated in the cease and desist order, marking Japan’s first significant regulatory action against a U.S. tech giant.
Google was also directed to relax its restrictive licensing conditions and allow manufacturers more flexibility in choosing advertising revenue models. To ensure compliance, Google must appoint an independent third party to report to the JFTC for the next five years.
