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Japan Orders Google to Halt Pre-Installation of Apps on Android Devices

The landmark ruling by Japan's Fair Trade Commission targets Google's anti-competitive practices, marking the country's first major antitrust action against a U.S. tech giant.

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FILE - A woman walks by a giant screen with a logo at an event at the Paris Google Lab on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

Overview

  • Japan's Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) issued a cease-and-desist order requiring Google to stop mandating the pre-installation of its apps, such as Chrome and Google Search, on Android devices.
  • The ruling follows an 18-month investigation into Google's practices, which allegedly stifled competition by tying app pre-installation to access to Google Play and ad revenue-sharing agreements.
  • Google's conduct has been under scrutiny since at least July 2020, with at least six Android manufacturers in Japan participating in these agreements, covering 80% of the local Android market.
  • This is the first time Japan has taken such an antitrust stance against a major U.S. tech company, aligning with similar actions in the United States and Europe.
  • Google Japan expressed disappointment with the ruling and is reviewing its options, while the JFTC hopes the decision will foster greater competition in Japan's digital markets.