JFTC to Issue Order Against Google for Restricting Ads

TOKYO, Apr 16 (News On Japan) - The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) is set to issue an administrative order to Google for possibly violating antitrust laws by allegedly restricting transactions for digital ads with "LINE Yahoo."

Search-linked advertising, a digital marketing strategy that displays ads related to search terms on search engines, has been provided to "LINE Yahoo" by Google since 2010.

According to sources, around the mid-2010s, Google unilaterally demanded that "LINE Yahoo" cease the distribution of certain search-linked ads, and "LINE Yahoo" complied with the request.

The JFTC believes that such actions might constitute a violation of the Anti-Monopoly Act and has decided to issue an administrative order to Google to prevent a recurrence.

Google's dominant position in the digital advertising market is under scrutiny not only by domestic authorities but also by regulators worldwide.

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