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Intel Japan offices raided
Trade officials looking for something

By Reuters

Published: Thursday 08 April 2004

Intel said on Thursday that officials from Japan's fair trade watchdog raided its Japanese unit's offices and a source close to the matter said the chip giant is suspected of unfair business practices.

Intel, whose processors are used in four out of every five personal computers worldwide, said it would cooperate with the Japanese authorities.

The Japan unit is suspected of seeking to prevent rival processor makers from supplying PC manufacturers, the source said.

Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said investigators from the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) raided its office in Tsukuba, near Tokyo, earlier on Thursday but declined any further comment.

An FTC official confirmed it is investigating Intel.

Japan is the world's third-largest PC market after China and the US.

Intel's main rival is Advanced Micro Devices. Shun Yoshizawa, director of corporate marketing at AMD Japan, said FTC officials also went to its offices earlier on Thursday but emphasised that it was not a raid and said it plans to cooperate fully with the investigation.

"They showed up today and asked a few questions and the meeting has ended already," Yoshizawa said. "The FTC is doing this on suspicion that Intel might have broken an antitrust law. That's the only thing we know."