During a trip around the Pacific Rim, Apple CEO Tim Cook asked Japan’s prime minister to consider how to provide security protections to users if the country decides to legislate the distribution of smartphone apps. Tim Cook has been eager to ease the problems the app store may face in the future following the European decision to force Apple and other device makers to enable third-party app marketplaces on their hardware. During a trip to Japan in December, he appealed to the country’s top politicians.
Cook spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Dec. 15 about a number of topics, including a request that regulations related to app distribution do not undermine users’ privacy and security, Nikkei Asia reported.
The Japanese government said in April it was considering introducing new rules to ensure fair competition between the App Store and Google Play store, and a digital market competition commission recommended legislation to limit the ability of Apple and Google to change market conditions.
At the time, Apple said it disagreed with the report, that its position had never been one of the market leaders and that it continued to face “intense competition in every area of its business.
At the December meeting, Cook discussed how Apple has invested more than $100 billion in its supply chain in Japan over the past five years and said it has an ongoing interest in Japan. According to Cook, Prime Minister Kishida is pleased with Apple’s investments in the country.
Kishida also asked Apple to work with Japan to develop a digital form of the country’s “My Number” ID card, which provides each Japanese resident with a 12-digit government code. This would speed up the use of the system in related services, such as insurance certificates.
Cook is reportedly enthusiastic about the project, but at the same time, Apple has strong concerns about how sensitively the “My Number” ID card will be handled, including issues related to user privacy and security.
