Overview

• Japan’s Fair Trade Commission published a 119-page guide under the Mobile Software Competition Act mandating Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores and alternative payment systems on their devices.
• The rules bar both firms from favoring their own apps over rivals and compel them to open device features and hardware to competing developers.
• Apple and Google must set up firewalls to block internal teams from accessing sensitive developer data and file yearly compliance reports with the JFTC.
• The guidelines take effect on December 18, 2025, and the JFTC is conducting preparatory work and a public-awareness campaign ahead of full enforcement.
• The measures align Japan with the EU’s Digital Markets Act and other global reforms as regulators seek to boost competition, expand consumer choice and drive down app costs in the smartphone market.