The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) heaped pressure on Apple with plans to monitor its App Store policies in light of a spat with Epic Games, Bloomberg reported.

It was reportedly prompted to weigh in after Japanese games industry executives criticised the iPhone maker’s app policies, with the news agency citing concerns over inconsistencies in applying rules along with Apple’s revenue sharing set-up.

Bloomberg noted game company officials were previously reluctant to complain about Apple, fearing reprisals. It also emphasised JFTC is not launching a formal probe at this time.

A study conducted by Analysis Group for Apple in 2019 estimated the App Store ecosystem in Japan was worth $11 billion in terms of revenue.

Pressure
Apple faces growing scrutiny of its App Store policies in several global markets, with a recent clash with Fortnite game developer Epic Games a high profile example.

The US gaming outfit took legal action after Apple moved to block access to its developer tools, albeit it lost a battle to keep its popular gaming title on the App Store.

Apple is also tackling complaints in the European Union: the company this week made changes to its app review process, as part of a previous pledge to implement clearer policies.