Overview
- The Japan Fair Trade Commission launched a formal review on Feb. 25 and executed an on-site inspection at Microsoft’s Tokyo office, according to multiple reports.
- The probe targets licensing and pricing rules for Microsoft 365 and related platform software that may restrict deployment on competitors’ cloud infrastructure or make it costlier.
- Authorities are assessing whether the conduct amounts to trade obstruction or conditional transactions banned under the Antimonopoly Act.
- Microsoft 365 bundles widely used tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, embedding the service in enterprise and government workflows.
- Officials have not announced findings or remedies, and the investigation continues with potential implications for cloud competition, AI infrastructure, and enterprise IT costs.