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 ofanime showsand 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 Newsreportsthat 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.
Publishers such as Shueisha and Kodakawa have soughtmore proactivityand 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 todata accruedby 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.
Related:
We have a list of thebest anime on Crunchyroll, for legitimate entertainment. Our guides toOne Piece Chapter 1116andBoruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 11will tell you when you can read those properly, as well.
Anthony McGlynn is a Senior Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. An expert on animes like Demon Slayer, Solo Leveling and My Hero Academia, he also has over 10 years experience covering games and pop culture for outlets such as Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PCGamesN, PCGamer, The Digital Fix, and many more. You can contact him at: anthony.mcglynn@dexerto.com
