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Economy

Japan plans periodic reviews of tech giants to protect vendors

Government also considers legislation to require clearer contract terms

Platform operators such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon have faced growing scrutiny in recent years.

TOKYO -- The Japanese government intends to use antitrust law to require major tech players to submit to regular reviews, as part of an effort to keep them from taking advantage of the smaller companies they do business with, Nikkei has learned.

Currently, while the Japan Fair Trade Commission can conduct reviews of technology companies such as Amazon.com, these are sometimes hindered by such obstacles as nondisclosure agreements with third-party sellers. But Japan's antimonopoly law lets the watchdog compel companies to cooperate, with financial penalties if they fail to comply or provide false information.

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