Japan launches antimonopoly probe into Google's search dominance

Tokyo: Japan's competition watchdog on Monday said it would start investigating Google's possible breach of antimonopoly laws in web search services, following similar steps taken by authorities in Europe and other major economies.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) said it would investigate whether Google violated Japan's Antimonopoly Act, including by returning part of its revenues to Android smartphone makers on the condition that they not install rival search engines.

The decision follows similar moves by antitrust regulators in the European Union, the United States and others.