It is the first time the country has issued such an order to a global technology giant, Japanese media reported, and follows similar moves in Europe and the United States.
"We have concluded that Google LLC's conduct threatens to impede fair competition," Saiko Nakajima of the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) told reporters on Tuesday.
The problem is "related to the implementation of search functions for Android smartphones, in violation of the antitrust law", she said.
The JFTC accuses Google of imposing binding conditions on Android smartphone manufacturers in Japan since at least July 2020.
Specifically, it says Google made sure its online app store Google Play would be installed as part of a package with its web-browser search app Chrome.
Google Play is so widely used that without it, "Android devices are basically unsellable", a government source told AFP in December.
No financial penalties were announced Tuesday, but Nakajima said the order would increase the options available to smartphone makers.
"This will encourage competition and benefit" society, she said.
Google Japan said it was "disappointed" by the JFTC's findings.
"(Our) agreements with Japanese partners help to promote competition and have undeniably boosted their ability to invest in product innovations which deliver more choice for consumers," it said in a statement.
"We will review the order thoroughly to determine our next steps."
The US government asked a judge in November to order the dismantling of Google by selling its widely used Chrome browser, in a major antitrust crackdown on the company.
And the European Commission said in 2023 that Google should sell parts of its business and could face a fine of up to 10 percent of its global revenue if it fails to comply.
In Japan, the JFTC conducted an on-site inspection of Amazon's Japanese subsidiary in Tokyo last year, accusing it of abusing its industry dominance to drive down prices.
Amazon Japan used its coveted "buy box" -- a prominent spot on its website -- against sellers, pressuring them into lowering prices to give it a competitive edge over rival e-commerce sites, the JFTC said.
Meta chief Zuckerberg testifies at landmark US antitrust trial
Washington (AFP) April 14, 2025 -
Meta chief and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Monday in a landmark US antitrust trial in which his social media juggernaut stands accused of abusing its market power to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp before they could become competitors.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) attorneys argue that Facebook, since renamed Meta, devoured what it saw as competitive threats.
Zuckerberg was shown an internal Facebook email from 2011 that warned Instagram was a hit on smartphones and could easily copy what his social network offered.
Another 2012 email regarding acquiring Instagram suggested simply keeping the app running without any improvements while Facebook developed its own products, and in doing so avoid upsetting users by shutting it down.
Zuckerberg downplayed those exchanges as early talk before plans for Instagram came together.
The start of the trial in a Washington federal court dashed the hopes of Zuckerberg that the return of President Donald Trump to the White House would see the government let up on the enforcement of antitrust law against Big Tech.
The Meta case could see the owner of Facebook forced to divest Instagram and WhatsApp, which have grown into global powerhouses since their buyout.
"They decided that competition is too hard and it would be easier to buy out their rivals than to compete with them," FTC attorney Daniel Matheson said in opening remarks at the trial.
Meta attorney Mark Hansen countered in his first salvo that "acquisitions to improve and grow an acquired firm" are not unlawful in the United States and that is what Facebook did.
- Playing to Trump -
The case against Meta was originally filed in December 2020, during the first Trump administration, and all eyes were on whether he would ask the FTC to stand down.
Zuckerberg, the world's third-richest person, has made repeated visits to the White House as he tried to persuade the US leader to choose settlement instead of fighting the trial.
As part of his lobbying efforts, Zuckerberg contributed to Trump's inauguration fund and overhauled content moderation policies. He also purchased a $23 million mansion in Washington in what was seen as a bid to spend more time close to the center of political power.
Zuckerberg's former lieutenant Sheryl Sandberg and a long line of executives from rival companies are scheduled to testify at a trial expected to last at least eight weeks.
Central to the case is Facebook's 2012 billion-dollar purchase of Instagram -- then a small but promising photo-sharing app that now boasts two billion active users.
An email from Zuckerberg cited by the FTC showed him depicting Instagram's emergence as "really scary," adding that is "why we might want to consider paying a lot of money for this."
The FTC argues that Meta's $19 billion WhatsApp acquisition in 2014 followed the same pattern, with Zuckerberg fearing the messaging app could either transform into a social network or be purchased by a competitor.
Meta's defense attorneys counter that substantial investments transformed these acquisitions into the blockbusters they are today.
They also highlight that Meta's apps are free for users and face fierce competition.
The FTC argues that Meta's monopoly power is demonstrated by a severely downgraded user experience -- with too many ads and product changes.
A key courtroom battleground will be how the FTC defines Meta's market.
The US government argues that Facebook and Instagram are dominant players in apps that provide a way to connect with family and friends, a category that does not include TikTok and YouTube.
But Meta disagrees.
"The evidence at trial will show what every 17-year-old in the world knows: Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp compete with Chinese-owned TikTok, YouTube, X, iMessage and many others," a spokesperson said.
"The bigger that Meta can make the relevant market... the more likely it is to defeat the FTC's case," said lawyer Brendan Benedict on Substack.
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