Japan's antitrust agency raids Microsoft's office, investigates obstruction of Azure users from using other cloud services

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2026-03-10 10:56:57

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Microsoft Raided by Authorities

Phoenix Technology News, February 25, Beijing Time — According to the Nikkei Asia, sources reveal that Japan’s antitrust regulators raided the offices of Microsoft Japan on Wednesday. The move is to investigate whether the American software giant has improperly hindered its Azure cloud platform customers from using other cloud services.

Sources say the Japan Fair Trade Commission is investigating allegations of unfair trade practices under the Anti-Monopoly Law and will also request clarification from Microsoft’s U.S. headquarters.

Currently, Microsoft Azure is competing with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud for global market share. To ensure a fair competitive environment in the rapidly evolving tech industry, the Japan Fair Trade Commission conducted this raid.

Sources indicate that Microsoft Japan is suspected of setting conditions that prevent its software from being used on cloud platforms other than Azure, or that using other platforms incurs higher costs.

Microsoft is believed to have leveraged its advantages in server operating systems Windows Server and office software Microsoft 365. Its Japanese subsidiary is suspected of restricting the use of these popular services on other cloud platforms, steering customers toward its own Azure platform. (Author: Xiao Yu)

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