Japan wants other countries to help combat anime and manga piracy

Japan is trying to clamp down on international piracy towards anime and manga by requesting assistance from other countries to form a combined effort.

The Japanese government has reaffirmed efforts to stop illegal distribution of anime shows and manga. Officials revealed this week that they plan to “strengthen coordination with foreign investigative authorities” to pushback on manga and anime being pirated online.

Kyodo News reports that Japan is going to “speed up” getting rid of illegally obtained media and block people from accessing sites that provide these releases. Tech companies are involved in the process, though it’s not known who or how, as yet.

A report from earlier this year revealed that the manga industry lost an estimated $2.4 billion to piracy in 2023. Over 1,000 sites had been identified for providing unofficial releases, and that number continues to grow.

Renewed legal hurdles are paying off, since 2023 saw a 20% decrease on 2022’s number. A sharper increase over the global shutdown caused the data to spike, something that’s likely fed into more government action on the subject.

Publishers such as Shueisha and Kodakawa have sought more proactivity and support from officials, since the amount of illegally obtained and distributed materials continues to grow. As you might expect, the US accounts for most of the piracy, according to data accrued by MUSO, a firm dedicated to content protection.

Part of the issue is that these distributors have their own, bespoke apps and outlets that seem legitimate to many readers. “There are huge English piracy sites that get over 200 million hits a month, and some sites restrict access from Japan to avoid detection,” Hiroyuki Nakajima, attorney, told NHK. “Pirated apps are also a problem, and if they are distributed on a legitimate platform, some people may mistakenly think that it is a legitimate app and download it”

There have been some prolific legal proceedings on the matter as well, with one owner of a site shilling pirated manga being ordered to pay $11 million in court. With Japan’s latest efforts, many more could join them.

We have a list of the best anime on Crunchyroll, for legitimate entertainment. Our guides to One Piece Chapter 1116 and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 11 will tell you when you can read those properly, as well.