Apple and Google will not be able to prevent third-party app stores in Japan

Following in the footsteps of the European Union, Japan has now passed a law that will restrict Apple It is Google blocks third-party app stores for Japanese users on its platforms. The legislation is expected to come into force by the end of 2025 and aims to reduce application prices and create a more equitable market by forcing technology giants to compete with smaller competitors.

Nicknamed Law on promoting competition for specific software for smartphones, Japan’s law shares some similarities with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which imposes strict rules against “designated suppliers”. This includes requiring their platforms to allow third-party app stores, allowing app developers to offer third-party billing services, and making it easier for users to change their default settings and web browsers. The law also prevents tech giants from prioritizing their own services in search results, something Google has targeted with its own DMA applications.

Apple and Google have already been named designated suppliers, and any further additions will be selected by Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC). Providers who violate the rules will be fined up to 20 percent of the specific national revenue of the offending service, an amount that increases to 30 percent in case of repeat offense.

At least one company is already celebrating the news, with Epic Games announcing plans to bring Fortnite and its iOS game store platform in Japan in late 2025. The company is also currently working to bring these services back to iOS in the EU “later this year,” following a hiccup in which Apple banned (and later canceled ) your developer account.

Japan’s FTC said The changes were introduced because it believes smartphone operating systems, app stores, browsers and search engines are an “oligopoly market” that would take existing antitrust laws “an extraordinarily long time” to resolve. We reached out to Apple and Google for comment on the decision, but have not yet received a response.