Japanese publishers lost an estimated 381.8 billion yen (approximately US$1.4 billion) due to free reading on manga piracy sites in 2023, the ABJ reported.

This estimate was revealed during a meeting on anti-piracy measures held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs earlier this year.

This figure, while lower than the 506.9 billion yen lost in 2022, remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels of 210 billion yen in 2020.

ABJ attributed the initial increase in piracy to increased home internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Damages caused by free reading on manga piracy sites increased during the pandemic due to people staying at home, reaching a peak of approximately 1.19 trillion yen in 2021. Since then, it has been on a downward trend due to consecutive crackdowns on major pirate sites.

The major repression conducted includes that of –

1. Mangamura – with the Tokyo District Court ordering the former operator of the manga piracy website to pay 1.7 billion yen in damages to three major publishers: Shogakukan, Kadokawa and Shueisha.
2. 13DL – the largest manga piracy site in Japan that was recently shut down by CODA.

Additionally, two foreigners suspected of leaking manga panels to leakers were also arrested.

Even so, in January 2024, ABJ identified 1,176 active pirate sites, a number that only grew at the end of 2023.

Of these, many were translated into languages other than Japanese, suggesting that these websites were targeted at global audiences.

ABJ warned that new sites were continually emerging and their tactics were becoming more sophisticated. The organization called for continued cooperation with all stakeholders to combat the ongoing problem of manga piracy.

The impact of piracy is felt not only by publishers, but also by creators themselves, who lose royalties and revenue.

The Japanese government, together with international partners, is actively working to combat piracy through legal measures and technological solutions.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs has also created video tutorials aimed at high school students to teach them the disadvantages of reading manga from piracy sites.

90% of high school and college students owned smartphones in Japan. The aim was to teach students that “just reading” can also lead to copyright infringement.

Source: Nikkei