Amazon Japan raided by competition authorities, Reuters reports

Amazon Japan was raided on Tuesday by Japan’s Fair Trade Commission, who are inspecting the company on suspicion of violating anti-monopoly laws, Reuters’ Satoshi Sugiyama and Kiyoshi Takenaka report. The Amazon unit is suspected of inappropriately urging sellers to lower their prices on its e-commerce site in exchange for giving their products advantageous placement on the site, according to a government source. Amazon is likely to face an EU probe next year into whether it favors its own brand products on its online marketplace as European antitrust regulators build up a case under landmark rules, Reuters previously reported.