Japan's Antitrust Ruling: Google Faces Legal Scrutiny

Japan's Fair Trade Commission is set to issue a cease and desist order against Google for violating antitrust laws. The watchdog's investigation comes amid global scrutiny of Google's monopolistic practices, particularly with its Chrome browser. This follows similar actions by U.S. and European regulators.

Japan's competition watchdog is poised to make a landmark decision against Google, finding the tech giant guilty of breaching the country's antitrust laws, according to a report by Nikkei Asia on Sunday.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) is expected to soon deliver a cease and desist order to Google, compelling it to halt what are deemed as monopolistic practices. Google and the JFTC were both unavailable for immediate comment on this evolving situation.

This development is part of a broader investigation initiated by the Japanese authorities last October. The scrutiny aligns with similar efforts in Europe and other global economies, highlighting concerns over Google's dominance in web search services. These actions mirror the recent U.S. Department of Justice's stance that Alphabet-owned Google should divest its Chrome browser to break its search monopoly.

(With inputs from agencies.)