Japan has once again requested Apple to open a third-party app store, which was previously rejected

Recently, according to Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan has once again requested Apple to allow the use of third-party app stores. Previously, there were reports that the Japanese government planned to pass legislation to force Apple to open third-party app stores. Japan has thus become another country and region, following the United States and Europe, that demands further openness from Apple.

Apple AppStore

In a report by the Japanese government in April, concerns were expressed about Apple and Google's control over the smartphone market. They believed that Apple and Google's policies could harm the interests of application suppliers and proposed new regulations to prohibit platforms from restricting users from choosing how to use their devices. In addition, the Japanese government also questioned Apple's royalty policy in the report and called on system suppliers to open third-party application stores and disclose complete information about the system.

However, Apple does not seem to intend to comply with the above requirements. In a statement, Apple stated that "we respect or disagree with some of the conclusions drawn by the government in the report." However, Apple also stated that every department it operates faces fierce competition and stated that it will continue to cooperate constructively with the Japanese government. Just yesterday, official data released by Apple showed that in 2022, AppStore developers generated $1.1 trillion in revenue and sales in the AppStore ecosystem, which also brought significant revenue to Apple.

Last year, due to the impact of the latest European Union Digital Market Act, Apple prepared to allow its iPhone and iPad users to use third-party app stores instead of the AppStore as part of its comprehensive reform. In addition, the EU also requires Apple to open more permissions to app developers, including allowing developers to install third-party payment systems in their apps to replace ApplePay, but Apple has not yet made a final decision on whether to comply with this regulation.