KYODO – Japan’s antitrust watchdog raided the office of Amazon.com Inc.’s unit in the country Thursday, for allegedly violating the antitrust law by having its suppliers shoulder part of the costs to cover discounts the retailer applied on goods.

The Japan Free Trade Commission conducted the on-site inspection on the online retailer suspecting that it has demanded such payments at least since last year, sources close to the matter said.

“We will fully cooperate with the commission’s inspection,” Amazon Japan K.K. said.

It is suspected that the suppliers have been complying with Amazon’s demands so that they can continue to sell their products through its wider sales network.

Japan’s antitrust law prohibits a party holding in a position of strength from using that position to illicitly earn profits from … (read more)

via The Japan Times