Japan to join forces in regulating Google, Apple, and other tech giants     

EU competition regulators in August launched an investigation into a $2.1bn bid by Google to buy Fitbit that aimed to take on Apple and Samsung in the wearable technology market.

Japan will join forces with the US and Europe to take on any market abuses by the four big tech companies, the new head of its antitrust watchdog said, a sign Tokyo will join global efforts to regulate digital platform operators.

Kazuyuki Furuya, chairman of Japan's Fair Trade Commission, also said Tokyo could open a probe into any merger or business tie-up involving fitness tracker maker Fitbit if the size of such deals are big enough.