Google faces antitrust charges in Japan

Japan’s competition watchdog, the Fair Trade Commission, is set to indict tech giant Google on charges of violating the country’s antitrust law.

According to the Nikkei Asia newspaper, the watchdog has determined that the US tech company’s contracts with smartphone makers unfairly restrict competition, hurting the online search market.

The newspaper added that the FTC will soon issue a cease-and-desist order requiring Google to stop its monopolistic practices.

The newspaper reported, citing sources, that the Japanese competition watchdog is expected to find Google’s Open New Tab guilty of violating the country’s antitrust law.

The Japanese competition watchdog began investigating Google over possible antitrust violations in its web search services last October, following similar moves 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.