Google could be accused of antitrust practices in Japan

Around the world, government organizations denounce Google for monopolistic practices. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will reportedly announce that Google is violating the country’s antitrust laws regarding its search engine, Chrome, and will issue a cease and desist letter. Asian Nikkeis reported. The watchdog launched an investigation into Google’s practices last October.

The JFTC reportedly accuses Google of requiring smartphone makers to sign a contract stating that Chrome will not only be pre-downloaded on all devices, but placed in a certain location on the screen. Manufacturers are supposedly forced to do this in order to have Google Play available on their devices.

In the United States, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled in November that Google “is a monopolist” in the search engine industry. The Department of Justice (DoJ) then asked Google to sell Chrome, as it will “permanently stop Google’s control over this critical search hotspot and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the Internet”. The Department of Justice also called on Google to stop favoring Chrome on Android. Google recently published a proposal to appease the Department of Justice, but stated that it will appeal the judge’s ruling before a hearing scheduled for April.