BBC News : Microsoft's Tokyo offices raided

Officials from Japan's fair trade watchdog have raided Microsoft's Tokyo offices on suspicion of anti-monopoly law violations, authorities said.


A spokesman for Microsoft's Japanese subsidiary confirmed the raid but declined to comment further.

"Some commission officials came to our headquarters this morning and they are holding a meeting with our company officials," the spokesman told the AFP news agency.

It is not the first time the US software giant has been accused of abusing its monopoly on PC operating systems to push prices higher or harm rivals.

It is already in settlement negotiations with the European Commission, which has accused the company of trying to stifle competition for multimedia players, by tying its Media Player programme to its Windows operating system.