Japan’s Competition Watchdog Acts Against Google

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s competition watchdog issued a cease and desist order to Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL)’s Google on Tuesday for anticompetitive practices, marking the first such action against a U.S. tech giant.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) stated that Google pressured smartphone makers to prioritize its services. As part of the order, Google must appoint a third party to monitor and report back to the JFTC.

Google expressed disappointment at the order and mentioned that it would cooperate with the JFTC to ensure Android remains a competitive choice.