Amazon (AMZN.US) reportedly under investigation in Japan for allegedly forcing sellers to lower prices.
1min read A government source said on Tuesday that Japan's Fair Trade Commission had raided Amazon's (AMZN.US) Japanese subsidiary on suspicion of violating the country's anti-monopoly law.The source said Amazon's Japanese subsidiary was suspected of improperly urging sellers to lower prices on its e-commerce site in exchange for better placement of their products on the site."The suspicion is that Amazon's Japanese subsidiary is forcing sellers to lower prices in an unreasonable way," the source said.Amazon's Japanese subsidiary did not immediately respond to an email asking about the surprise search.Last week, reports emerged that Amazon could face an EU investigation next year over whether it supports its own-brand products on its online marketplace, as European antitrust regulators pursue landmark rules.The Japanese regulator raided Amazon's Japanese subsidiary in March 2018 over allegations it was asking suppliers to bear some of the costs of discounting products on the site. The authorities accepted Amazon's Japanese subsidiary's plan to improve its business practices in September of that year.