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Japan: Regulators to investigate tech giants

By  |  November 1, 2018

Japan’s antitrust authorities will probe whether tech giants such as Google and Amazon are using their market-leader positions to exploit contractors or obstruct competition, the country’s fair trade chief said Thursday, November 1.

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    In an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, the head of Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) said the investigation would take place next year. “We will probe whether ‘platformers’ are obstructing the technological innovation of Japanese companies,” Kazuyuki Sugimoto told the daily.

    The term “platformers” refers to tech giants that dominate their sector, and includes Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook.

    He said the probe would “study whether client data hoarding is obstructing newcomers from entering the market, or whether their dominant positions in the market are forcing their business partners to cut prices.”

    The investigation would involve meetings with the businesses and their partners, and could see the antitrust watchdog summon company officials and order documents handed over “if necessary,” he said.

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