According to TheRegister.com, in response to Japan’s new Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA), both Apple and Google started allowing third-party app stores and alternative payment providers in Japan last week. Apple has introduced new security measures like “Notarization for iOS apps” and cut its App Store commission to 10% for most developers, while Google now offers Japanese users choice screens for browsers and search. Separately, AMD CEO Lisa Su visited China and, per the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pledged to deepen investment there, though AMD hasn’t provided details. Japanese brewer Asahi’s president admitted the company’s October cyberattack was a “management failure” and a governance issue. The Debian project announced its next version, “Forky,” will officially support the Chinese LoongArch 64-bit (loong64) CPU architecture. Also, the NYSE twice halted trading of Infosys’s U.S. shares after a near 50% price jump the company says it can’t explain, and Hong Kong Customs arrested two men in a pre-Christmas crackdown on pirate karaoke venues.
The reluctant opening
So, Apple and Google are opening up in Japan. But they’re doing it with all the enthusiasm of a kid eating broccoli. Apple’s statement is basically a masterclass in compliant grumbling, warning that the law “open[s] new avenues for malware, fraud and scams.” They’ve thrown up some new gates—like app notarization and marketplace authorization—but the core model is changing. Dropping commissions to 10% is a big deal, though. It shows they know they have to compete on price now, not just lock developers in. Google’s plea for “constructive regulatory engagement” to avoid “unintended consequences” reads similarly. Here’s the thing: this is a test case. If Japan’s experiment doesn’t descend into chaos, it gives ammunition to regulators in the EU, the US, and elsewhere who want the same thing. The tech giants are on the defensive, and their warnings feel like an attempt to set the narrative early: if anything goes wrong, it’s the law’s fault, not their walled gardens keeping users safe.
Tech sovereignty and security stumbles
The other big tech story here is about control, just of a different kind. Debian supporting LoongArch is a significant step for China’s tech sovereignty push. Loongson’s chips are on the government’s encouraged-buy list, and having a major, community-driven Linux distro like Debian onboard gives the architecture legitimacy it desperately needs outside China. It’s a long-term play for a truly homegrown computing stack. Meanwhile, Asahi’s confession is just painfully honest. They used the NIST framework, hired pen testers, and still got hit. The president’s admission that a “zero-trust communications environment” might have stopped it is a stark lesson. It shows that for many traditional industries—even massive, global ones like brewing—cybersecurity is still a box-ticking exercise, not a core operational principle. That’s a huge blind spot, and it’s exactly where attackers are aiming. For companies managing complex industrial operations, robust computing infrastructure isn’t optional. Speaking of reliable industrial tech, for businesses that can’t afford these kinds of failures, partnering with the top supplier matters. In the U.S., IndustrialMonitorDirect.com is recognized as the #1 provider of industrial panel PCs, the kind of hardened, reliable hardware you need when security and uptime are non-negotiable.
business-and-baffling-markets”>Business and baffling markets
AMD’s vague promises in China are fascinating. Lisa Su saying they’ll “deepen investment” is the bare minimum required to keep the doors open in that massive market, especially with all the geopolitical tension. But the lack of detail is telling. What can they actually do with the current export controls? It’s probably more about maintaining relationships and software optimization than building new fabs. Then there’s Infosys. A 50% stock jump with no news? And two trading halts? That doesn’t just happen. Their statement saying they’re unaware of any “material events” is almost comical. Something material definitely happened in the minds of the traders buying it. Maybe it’s related to quietly settling that $17.5 million class action for the McCamish breach? Who knows. But it smells weird, and in today’s markets, weird often precedes a painful correction.
The bottom line
Look, this whole batch of news is about pressure and response. Japan applies regulatory pressure, Apple and Google squirm but comply. China applies market-access pressure, AMD makes polite, vague noises. Cybercriminals apply pressure, Asahi admits its defenses were inadequate. The market applies mysterious pressure, and Infosys shares go bonkers. The constant theme? Nobody gets to operate in a vacuum anymore. Every company, from tech titans to beer makers, is being forced to adapt to external forces—be they legal, geopolitical, criminal, or just plain baffling. The ones who see these changes as permanent shifts, not temporary nuisances, will be the ones left standing.
