Japan’s Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday, November 26, conducted an on-site inspection of Amazon Japan on suspicion of violating antitrust laws, as reported by the media, citing an insider in the government of the Asian country.
The Japanese unit of the mentioned e-commerce giant, which is also one of the largest players in the global technology sector, is suspected of practicing inappropriately urging sellers to lower their prices on its website. In this case, the company promised advantageous placement of products on the specified web page for responding to the urge.
A media informant said that there is a suspicion that the Japanese unit of the e-commerce giant is forcing sellers to lower prices for goods in an irrational way. This insider used the right of anonymity, since in this case, it implies information that has not yet been mentioned at the official level in a public format.
Amazon Japan did not respond to a media request for comment.
It is worth noting that there is currently a significant likelihood that the e-commerce giant will face an investigation in the European Union next year. In this case, regulators’ interest will focus on answering the question of whether the company favors its own brand products on its online marketplace.
It is also worth mentioning that in March 2018, the Japanese regulator raided Amazon Japan. The relevant actions were related to the suspicion that the company demanded suppliers shoulder part of the costs incurred from selling their products at a discount on the website. In September 2018, the authorities of the Asian country accepted Amazon Japan’s plan to improve business practices.
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