Japan’s antitrust watchdog to find Google violated law in search case, Nikkei reports

Japan’s competition watchdog is expected to find Google guilty of violating the country’s antitrust law, Nikkei Asia reported on Dec 22, citing sources.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will soon issue a cease-and-desist order asking Google to halt its monopolistic practices, the report added.

Google did not immediately respond to request for comment while the JFTC could not be reached for comment.

The Japanese competition watchdog started investigating Google for a possible breach of anti-monopoly laws in web search services in October 2023, following similar steps by

authorities in Europe and other major economies.

Chrome is the world’s most widely used web browser and is a pillar of Google’s business, providing user information that helps the company target ads more effectively and profitably.

In November, the US Department of Justice argued before a judge that Alphabet-owned Google

must divest its Chrome browser

and should not be allowed to re-enter the browser market for five years in an effort to end Google’s search monopoly. REUTERS