Japan’s antitrust watchdog can open a probe into any merger or business tie-up involving fitness tracker maker Fitbit if the size of such deals is big enough, said Kazuyuki Furuya, the new chairman of the Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), according to Nasdaq.
EU antitrust regulators in August launched an investigation into a US$2.1 billion deal by Alphabet unit Google’s bid to buy Fitbit, a move aimed at taking on Apple and Samsung in the wearable technology market.
“If the size of any merger or business tie-up is big, we can launch an anti-monopoly investigation into the buyer’s process of acquiring a start-up (like Fitbit),” Furuya told Nasdaq in an interview.
“We’re closely watching developments including in Europe.”
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
