Offices of Amazon Japan searched as part of antitrust investigation
Amazon has seen the offices of its Japanese operation raided by officials amidst claims it has flouted competition law by pressuring retailers to offer their goods for sale on Amazon with more favourable terms than rival platforms.
The search took place at the behest of Japan’s Fair Trade Commission following suspicion that Amazon was using its scale to unfairly distort the market, according to the Nikkei business daily.
Amongst the alleged malpractices were the imposition of strict conditions on merchants seeking to make their wares available on Amazon, such as mandating that products be sold at a lower price if also being sold on rival platforms.
It is not clear when the raid took place and Amazon Japan has refused to comment but a commission spokesman said: “I won't say the contents are incorrect.”