August 15, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key Words<\/strong>: Japan Smartphone Software Act, Smartphone Software Competition Promotion Act Japan, Mobile Software Competition Act, JFTC ex\u2011ante regulation, Specified Software Japan, Designated Providers Japan, App Store Regulation Japan, Alternative Payment Systems Japan, Default Settings Choice Japan, Data Misuse Prohibition Japan, Search Preferencing Ban Japan, Alternative App Stores Japan, Mobile Ecosystem Competition Japan, Digital Markets Regulation Japan, Smartphone Antitrust Japan, Japan Digital Platform Law, JFTC Enforcement Mechanisms Japan, Mobile Platform Fairness Japan, Big Tech Rule Japan, International Compliance Japan, Platform Governance Japan, Transparency in Mobile Software Japan<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japan\u2019s Smartphone Software Competition Promotion Act<\/em>\u2014also known as the Mobile Software Competition Act\u2014was enacted in June 2024 and is set to become fully enforceable on December 18, 2025.[2]<\/a> This introduces Japan\u2019s ex\u2011ante regulatory framework for smartphone software, aiming to prevent gatekeeping practices that inhibit competition and consumer choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For dominant platform players, these new ex\u2011ante rules mark a material shift. As explained in Section II below, the Act will require proactive compliance with rules on app distribution, payment systems, and default settings. This may increase operational burdens, delay product rollouts, and necessitate governance and monitoring infrastructure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, developers or service providers without entrenched positions may find new market openings. By designing offerings that comply with the framework, they may be able to leverage a more level playing field. The following sections will explain the objectives and key provisions of the new Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To continue reading, please download the full article in PDF format below.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Download Full Article (PDF)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> This communication is provided as a service to our clients and friends and is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship or constitute an advertisement, a solicitation, or professional advice as to any particular situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Please refer to \u201c<\/strong>Enactment of Japan\u2019s Smartphone Software Competition Promotion Act: Paving the Way for Fair Competition and Game Publisher Gro<\/span>wth<\/strong><\/a>\u201d<\/strong> for a comprehensive analysis of the law\u2019s enactment and its particularly significant impact on game publishers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1676,"template":"","column_category":[25],"column_tag":[21],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mps-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column\/1678"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mps-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mps-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/column"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mps-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mps-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"column_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mps-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column_category?post=1678"},{"taxonomy":"column_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mps-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column_tag?post=1678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}I. INTRODUCTION[1<\/a>]<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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