Japan Competition Watchdog Issues Cease and Desist Order to Google

The Japan Fair Trade Commission said 80 percent of Android devices sold in the country were made by companies that had contracts with Google.

The Google logo on the Google house at CES 2024, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 10, 2024. Steve Marcus/Reuters

Japan’s competition watchdog issued a cease and desist order to Google on Tuesday for anticompetitive practices, in the first action of its kind against a U.S. tech company in the country.

In the order, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) said Google made smartphone makers prioritize its own services. The JFTC instructed the company to appoint a third party to monitor its practices and report back to the commission.