97 Trillion Won Lost to Illegal Distribution of Manga and Merchandise... Japanese Content Industry on Alert

Pirated Content Damages Estimated at 10.4 Trillion Yen
Japanese Government to Invest 300 Billion Yen to Strengthen Crackdown

The scale of damages caused by the illegal online distribution of Japanese manga, animation, and character merchandise surpassed 10 trillion yen last year.

Poster of the Japanese animated film "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train." Animax Broadcasting Korea

According to a survey commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), the total damages related to this issue reached 10.4 trillion yen (approximately 97 trillion won) last year.

By sector, damages in the publishing field, including manga, amounted to 2.6 trillion yen, more than tripling compared to the 2022 survey. The video sector, which includes animation, also increased 2.5 times to 2.3 trillion yen. The gaming sector saw damages rise fivefold to 500 billion yen, while the music sector tripled to 300 billion yen.

The damage from merchandise (related products), which was included in the survey for the first time, was also severe. Damages from counterfeit merchandise such as figures (dolls) and plastic models alone amounted to 4.7 trillion yen, accounting for 45% of the total damages.

The sources of illegal distribution varied by sector. In the manga sector, damages were concentrated in Vietnam, while in the merchandise sector, damages were concentrated in China.

The Japanese government has announced a strong response, aiming to expand overseas sales in the content industry to 20 trillion yen (approximately 187 trillion won) by 2033. The government plans to strengthen crackdowns in cooperation with local authorities and establish official content streaming platforms targeting overseas users.