The Japanese government plans to bring charges against Google for monopolistic practices. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) is set to claim that the company is violating antitrust laws by actively pushing the use of its Chrome browser, according to Nikkei Asia.
The JFTC accuses Google of requiring smartphone manufacturers to sign contracts mandating that Chrome be not only pre-installed on all devices but also placed in a specific location on the screen. Manufacturers are compelled to comply in order to gain access to Google Play on their devices.
Google has already been recognized as a monopoly in the search engine market in the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice seeks to force Google to sell Chrome, arguing that this would "permanently end Google's control over search access and enable competitors in the search engine market to gain access to the browser, which serves as the entry point to the internet for many users."
The search giant aims to shift the focus of the issue from the browser to Search and has suggested that the U.S. reevaluate its agreements with companies like Mozilla and Apple.