Following the Japan Fair Trade Commission's publication of a developer Q&A, the Mobile Software Competition Act appears to establish a dividing line under which directing users to a web store through text alone does not incur fees, while direct links may incur fees. This article reviews the facts, including examples from 5 companies and how to interpret the issue in financial results.
Full enforcement of the Mobile Software Competition Act is scheduled for 18 December 2025. The developer Q&A currently explains that text-only guidance does not require API integration and is not subject to fees. By contrast, links that take users directly from an app to an external web store may be subject to fees. These points remain an interpretation of the current rules in practice, rather than a permanent fee schedule.
This article identifies 3 routes related to the Mobile Software Competition Act: using alternative app stores, using alternative billing systems, and directing users to web stores outside the app. It organizes the differences in fee treatment depending on how users are directed. It also emphasizes that text-only notices and direct links are treated differently, and that they may not be obstructed unless there is a legitimate reason.
The article examines 5 companies as actual examples: Nexon, GungHo Online Entertainment, COLOPL, Drecom and CyberAgent. It compares their adoption of external payments, expense items and explanations of their contribution to earnings, based on official materials and financial-results briefings. It notes that comparisons of ratios across companies are difficult because the definitions used in their disclosures differ.
Regarding financial results, it is said that simple causal estimates cannot be made while specific figures such as the external payment ratio, payment processing fees and web-store launch dates remain undisclosed. The article stresses the importance of waiting for additional disclosures in the next financial results, taking into account the chronology of financial-results explanations, the classification of reporting periods, and the difference between implementation dates and the recognition of expenses.