By Sachiko Sakamaki ( October 20, 2025, 07:01 GMT | Insight) -- Japan’s competition chief, Eiji Chatani, told MLex in an exclusive interview that enforcement of the upcoming mobile software law would employ an antitrust “scalpel” rather than a regulatory sledgehammer — borrowing a phrase from his counterparts at the US Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice. Chatani said the Japan Fair Trade Commission would carefully implement the new law, scheduled to take effect in December, even though it was modeled on the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which has generated criticism from US regulators. He also discussed his recent international travels, his stance on artificial intelligence, merger reviews, and the regulator's domestic agenda.Japan’s competition chief told MLex in an exclusive interview that enforcement of the upcoming mobile software law would employ an antitrust “scalpel” rather than a regulatory sledgehammer — borrowing a phrase from his counterparts at the US Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice....
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