Earlier this year, Apple announced major changes coming to iOS users in the European Union following the Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust legislation, which forced the company to allow alternative app stores – or App Marketplaces – on iOS. Now the government of Japan has passed a similar law that will also force the company to allow App Marketplaces for Japanese iOS users.

Japan’s antitrust law affects Apple’s App Store

As reported by Kyodo News, Japan’s parliament passed an antitrust law on Wednesday that prevents big tech companies like Apple and Google from restricting third parties from selling and distributing apps on their platforms. The law also forces companies to let developers use payment platforms of their choice rather than native platforms.

In addition, the law also says that tech giants cannot prioritize their own services in search results. In other words, Apple will have to make similar changes to those it already implemented in the EU earlier this year, but this time in Japan.

Companies that infringe Japan’s new law will have to pay a fine of 20% of the domestic revenue of the infringing service. The fine will increase to 30% if the company persists with the anti-competitive practices. The law will come into effect by the end of 2025, which gives Apple some time to implement the necessary changes to iOS.

Apple is also fighting a DOJ lawsuit in the US covering much of the same ground, and facing similar investigations and legislation in a number of countries around the world.

In the EU, iOS users now have the option of downloading apps through App Marketplaces or directly from developers’ websites – although there are still many rules and guidelines behind this process. iPhone users in Japan can now expect similar features soon.

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