Japan’s competition regulator has said it is investigating Google’s parent company Alphabet for a suspected violation of the country’s Antimonopoly Act.
The investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission will consist of two parts — an examination into whether Google shared search related ad revenue with Android phone makers in return for manufacturers not pre-installing competitors search applications, and a look into whether Google services in general are being prioritized by Android devices.
“Google has been suspected to exclude business activities of its competitors or restrict business activities of its counterparties,” a press release announcing the investigation read.
