**Through Gritted Teeth: Apple and Google Allow Alternative App Stores in Japan**
In a move that's been met with both reluctance and compliance, tech giants Apple and Google have begun allowing developers to distribute their mobile applications through third-party app stores and accept payments from alternative providers in Japan.
The change comes as a result of Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA), which aims to promote competition in the country's mobile software market. While neither Apple nor Google seems particularly thrilled about the development, they've both made concessions to comply with the law.
Apple has warned that the law's requirements "open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, and privacy and security risks," but has introduced measures such as Notarization for iOS apps, an authorization process for app marketplaces, and requirements to protect children from inappropriate content and scams. The company has also dropped its App Store commissions to 10 percent for the vast majority of developers.
Google, on the other hand, called for "constructive regulatory engagement and careful enforcement to avoid any unintended consequences as these new rules are rolled out." The company has now offered Japanese users screens that let them choose a browser and search provider, and allows in-app purchases to be made using payment services other than its Play payment scheme.
**AMD Commits to Deepening Investment in China**
Meanwhile, AMD CEO Lisa Su visited China last week and announced the US chip design firm's commitment to deepening its investment in the country. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Su said that AMD will "continue to deepen its investment in China, further strengthen cooperation with China, and jointly promote industrial innovation and development."
Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Lecheng welcomed AMD's commitment, saying that China continues to promote a new wave of industrialization and hopes the company will participate in the opportunities it creates. The Minister expressed hope that AMD will "continue to deepen its presence in the Chinese market, innovating and growing together with upstream and downstream enterprises in the Chinese industrial chain to achieve mutually beneficial development."
**Asahi President Admits Management Failure in Cyberattack**
The President of Japanese brewer Asahi has admitted that the company's recent cyberattack and data leak was a management failure. Atsushi Katsuki told Japanese outlet Nikkei that Asahi didn't pay enough attention to security measures, especially at the management level.
Katsuki said that the company had engaged third-party experts to simulate attacks and used NIST's Cybersecurity Framework, but still had blind spots. "If we had established a zero-trust communications environment earlier, we may have prevented it," he admitted.
**Debian Supports Chinese Chips**
Linux distro Debian has announced its upcoming version 14, aka "Forky", will support loong64 as an official architecture. Loong64 is a proprietary instruction set architecture developed by Chinese company Loongson, which blends MIPS and RISC-tech.
This move follows China's encouragement of locally-developed chip tech, including Linux distros that are based on Debian and promoted as alternatives to Windows.
**Infosys Share Price Jumps 50%**
The New York Stock Exchange suspended trading of Indian tech giant Infosys's American Depositary Receipt shares twice last week after the price jumped almost 50 percent. The company issued a statement saying it is not aware of any material events that caused the sudden share price jumps.
Infosys also announced that it had settled a class action related to the 2024 cybersecurity incident and data theft at its US operation Infosys McCamish Systems, agreeing to pay $17.5 million into a fund to settle the matter.
**Hong Kong Cracks Down on Pirate Karaoke Venues**
Hong Kong's Customs authority conducted a territory-wide enforcement operation targeting pirate karaoke venues last week, arresting two men for suspected breaches of Hong Kong's Copyright Ordinance.
With the Christmas and New Year holidays approaching, Hong Kong Customs warned that it will continue to step up inspection and enforcement to combat copyright infringement activities and safeguard the rights of copyright owners.