Japan readies antitrust action against Google over search ads

TOKYO -- Japan's antitrust watchdog is planning to push Google to voluntarily reform its business practices over alleged unfair restrictions on a search advertising partnership with Yahoo, Nikkei has learned.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission has been investigating the Alphabet unit over keyword-targeted search ad technology it provides to Yahoo, now a subsidiary of Line operator LY Corp., according to a source familiar with the situation.Google is believed to have alreadysubmitted an improvement plan to prevent the problem from happening again, which the agency is expected to soon accept.