Japan will make changes to policies governing Google and Apple’s app stores

Summary

• The Digital Markets Act (DMA) made waves in the tech industry, preventing abuse by large companies and creating opportunities for smaller ones.
• Japan is following the EU’s lead with new regulations to enhance competition in the tech space, allowing for third-party app support and billing solutions.
• The introduction of third-party app stores in Japan signals big changes ahead, with companies like Epic Games and Fortnite already celebrating the new law.

It’s been a couple of years since the introduction of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and as we’ve seen, it has caused some huge ripples in the tech industry, bringing visible changes to products and services from the likes of Apple, Google, and more. Not only does the DMA prevent large companies from abusing their stranglehold on the industry, but it also opens up new opportunities for smaller companies too.

While there is still a lot more to be done, it looks like another country is borrowing a move from the EU’s playbook by introducing regulations of its own. Japan has announced that it will also improve the spirit of competition in the tech space by giving consumers choices, preventing large companies from barring support for third-party apps and services (via The Verge).

New rules, coming soon

The new law will also allow developers to take advantage of third-party billing solutions, and the ability for consumers to easily access and change the default settings for apps. Most importantly, this new law will curb “preferential treatment,” providing equal exposure to competitors’ services.

Best of all, this means that we could eventually see the introduction of third-party app stores in the near future. Of course, there is also an outline showing how the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) will communicate with companies like Apple and Google, in order to ensure that these rules are followed.

As stated before, this means big changes are coming, and at least one company is celebrating early, with the official Fortnite account on X sharing that both the Epic Games Store and Fortnite will be available in late 2025. As you might suspect, this really is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to see what kinds of changes come by the time this law goes into effect.

As mentioned before, the EU’s DMA is already changing the landscape of tech products and services, with companies like Google making changes to meet the requirements set forth in the policy. Of course, this new change in Japan will pose many challenges, but it will certainly bring a new and more open environment when it comes to third-party products and services.