In an unprecedented move, the Japan Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday issued a cease-and-desist order against Google for violating the country's anti-monopoly law by forcing manufacturers to preinstall the company?s apps on their Android smartphones.

This is the first time that Japan has issued such an order against any of the major U.S. technology companies referred to collectively as GAFAM ? Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft.

?By binding smartphone manufacturers and telecommunication carriers, Google has made it difficult for other competing search engine applications to be used on Android phones,? Saiko Nakajima, a senior investigator for digital platform operators at the commission, said.

?Google's conduct in this case has created a risk of impeding fair competition concerning transactions ? thus, we have determined that this is an act in violation of the Antimonopoly Act,? she added.

According to the commission, Google had ? since July 2020 at the latest ? forced Android smartphone manufacturers to install Google Play and Google Chrome apps on their phones and place them in a location on the home screen that is easy for users to access. With this, the company had unfairly restricted competition from other search engine apps, thus violating the anti-monopoly law.

Google was also found to have paid portions of its advertising revenue to manufacturers as part of its contracts with them, as long as they fulfilled conditions it prescribed, such as setting Google's Chrome as the default browser and not preinstalling other search engine apps.

As of December last year, Google had such agreements with at least six manufacturers that produced around 80% of all Android smartphones used in Japan, the commission said.

The cease-and-desist order instructs Google to stop committing acts that violate the anti-monopoly law and bars it from asking manufacturers to preinstall its apps. It also instructs the company to compile action guidelines for compliance with the law.

With the move, the commission hopes to encourage more competition in the search engine market.

If Google does not adhere to the order, it will be liable for a fine.

Following the order on Tuesday, Google Japan released a statement expressing its ?deep regret? over the decision by the committee.

?Google has a long-standing commitment to fair competition and respect for user choice,? the statement read. ?We will carefully review the cease and desist order and work with the Fair Trade Commission to ensure that Android remains a competitive choice for Japanese consumers, smartphone manufacturers and carriers.?

Google claims that its partnering manufacturers and carriers have the freedom to choose which apps they preinstall on their phone and that they are choosing Google?s apps not because they are forced to, but because they deem them to be the best options.

Japan joins a list of countries ? notably the U.S. and those in Europe ? that in recent years have been cracking down on major tech companies for breaches of anti-monopoly laws. (thejapantimes)

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