Last week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell accused Sony of monopolizing the “high-end console market” in Japan, saying that the company owns a 98% stake. Now 10 more members of the US Congress have joined her accusations.
Congressmen claim that Sony’s policy does not allow American companies to fully compete in the Japanese market and may contradict the terms of trade agreements between the United States and Japan. Sony also enters into deals with which it tries to prevent the release of popular Japanese games on Xbox consoles — this may violate Japan’s antitrust laws.
The congressmen outlined their accusations in letters to US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Catherine Tai.
Axios portal noted that six congressmen represent the state of Washington, where Microsoft is headquartered. Journalists suggested that the corporation discussed the situation in the Japanese market with Congress, but Microsoft itself did not confirm this.