Piracy is a deeply felt phenomenon in Japan, especially when it comes to the manga and anime culture which are part of a multi-billion dollar market. In recent years the position of the government and publishers has been severely strengthened, but the situation remains delicate and complex.
Last year the ABJ, Short for Authorized Books of Japan, had reported an increase in piracy parallel to the manga sales. However, not even the Japanese company had foreseen the increase in the phenomenon that year, which multiplied losses to 782 billion yen (about 6 billion euros).
The agency explains: “The total number of hits on the top 10 manga piracy sites in October 2021 it was nearly 400 million. A total of 398.33 million visits were recorded for the top 10 sites combined, not to mention the total number of visits for the top three sites, including MangaBank, which closed in November, topped 300 million for the first time. This number is more than three times as high as in the same month last year.“
MangaBank’s users have actually migrated elsewhere and so the agency doesn’t expect any decline in the coming months. ABJ has a list of over 400 websites that distribute or own pirated software, and all portals have already reported those responsible in an attempt to stop a problem that is currently spiraling out of control.
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