Google plans to fight Japanese regulator’s allegations of obstructing competition – report

Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) unit Google is preparing to answer allegations from Japan’s Fair Trade Commission that the company engaged in anticompetitive practices such as forcing smartphone manufacturers to give priority to Google Search in default screen placement, Bloomberg News reported.

Japan’s antitrust watchdog has sent a cease-and-desist order to Google’s Japan office alleging that the U.S. tech giant obstructed competition, the report added, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. The news confirmed an earlier report by Nikkei Asia.

Google has not yet responded to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.

“We have continued to work closely with the Japanese government to demonstrate how we are supporting the Android ecosystem and expanding user choice in Japan,” Google said in a statement to the news agency.

Google added that it will present its arguments in the hearing process, and noted that it was “disappointed” and that the FTC did not give enough consideration to the company’s proposed solution. Google did not elaborate, according to the report.

Earlier this year, Japan’s FTC, reportedly, alleged that Google used some measures that curbed Yahoo Japan’s ability to compete in targeted search ads, and the agency vowed to keep monitoring the company.