Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook visited Japan for the first time in 2 years and 9 months.
On the 24th, Nikkei reported that Cook arrived in Japan the previous day to visit the Apple Store in Tokyo's Ginza district, which will reopen on the 26th of this month. This is Cook's first official visit to Japan since December 2022.
On X (formerly Twitter), he said he was "really happy to be back in Japan," adding, "The Ginza Apple store is special to us as the company's first store outside the United States, and this reopening is a symbol of the strong bond with not only Japanese customers but also the local community."
Cook's remarks appear to reflect the fact that Japan is about to implement a law to strengthen regulations on smartphone software. The Fair Trade Commission created the "Act on Promotion of Competition for Smartphone Software" last year to regulate global IT corporations, and it is set to take effect on Dec. 18. The law regulates four areas: smartphone operating systems (OS), application (app) stores, browsers, and search engines. Apple and its subsidiary iTunes K.K. (Japan), and Google have been designated as subjects of regulation.