Amazon is being investigated by the Japan Fair Trade Commission for allegedly using its market dominance to force down the price of goods sold on its site as regulators globally take a closer look at potentially anticompetitive practices by big technology companies.
“The JFTC has just instigated its formal investigation,” Takujiro Kono, director of the Japan Fair Trade Commission’s international affairs division, confirmed in an email to the Japan Times.
Amazon Japan and related companies operating in the country are suspected of restricting the activities of sellers on the Amazon.co.jp e-commerce site in order to pressure them to lower their prices, according to Kono. The company is also suspected of pressuring sellers to use Amazon’s fulfillment services.
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