{"id":60695,"date":"2026-02-26T14:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T05:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=60695"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T05:00:31","slug":"microsoft-japan-raided-by-antitrust-watchdog-over-suspected-unfair-trade-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/microsoft-japan-raided-by-antitrust-watchdog-over-suspected-unfair-trade-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Japan raided by antitrust watchdog over suspected\u00a0unfair trade practices\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On February 25, the Japan Fair Trade Commission conducted an on-site&nbsp;search and seizure&nbsp;of&nbsp;<strong>Microsoft<\/strong>\u2019s Japanese subsidiary&nbsp;in Minato, Tokyo&nbsp;on suspicion of violating the country\u2019s Antimonopoly Act, which prevents private monopolization, unreasonable restraints of trade, and unfair methods&nbsp;in&nbsp;business competition&nbsp;(source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yomiuri.co.jp\/national\/20260225-GYT1T00255\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yomiuri Shinbun<\/a>).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Specifically, Microsoft Japan\u00a0is suspected of disrupting competitors\u2019 transactions by\u00a0refusing to allow\u00a0its proprietary Windows operating system\u00a0and\u00a0Microsoft 365 suite\u00a0services\u00a0(such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Teams)\u00a0to be used\u00a0on\u00a0third-party\u00a0cloud services.\u00a0The company is also\u00a0suspected of\u00a0setting excessively high fees for its\u00a0aforementioned\u00a0services.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These\u00a0practices are seen as a way for Microsoft\u00a0to\u00a0drive more users towards its\u00a0Azure cloud service. By setting conditions that favor Azure users and making services unavailable or expensive for users of competitor cloud services, the company\u00a0essentially gives\u00a0itself a head\u00a0start in any field. Microsoft Japan, in particular,\u00a0is responsible for\u00a0developing hardware and software technologies for consumers and business partners.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\u00a0Fair Trade\u00a0Commission\u00a0has\u00a0seized materials\u00a0from\u00a0the Tokyo offices and is currently\u00a0interviewing\u00a0parties related\u00a0to the case.\u00a0Depending on the FTC\u2019s findings, the\u00a0investigation\u00a0could\u00a0potentially expand beyond Microsoft\u2019s Japanese subsidiary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/new-japanese-law-meant-to-ensure-fair-competition-for-mobile-game-developers-neutralized-by-apples-new-japan-specific-fees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Japanese law\u00a0meant to ensure\u00a0fair competition for mobile game developers gets neutralized\u00a0by Apple\u2019s new Japan-specific fees\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On February 25, the Japan Fair Trade Commission conducted an on-site search and seizure of Microsoft\u2019s Japanese subsidiary in Minato, Tokyo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":60698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-60695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - 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