Piracy of Japan Manga, Literature Causes ¥8.5 Trillion Annual Loss

Lost revenue from the illegal online viewing of Japanese manga and other publications worldwide is estimated at around 8.5 trillion yen ($55 billion) annually, highlighting the massive damage piracy websites cause to rights holders, a recent study showed, Kyodo News reported.

Piracy websites have long been a major concern for Japanese publishers, artists, and authors. (Photo: Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai X) 

Anti-piracy group ABJ analyzed access numbers and viewing times for 913 websites during the month of June.

The group found that sites offering unauthorized access to Japanese comics, novels, and photo books received about 2.8 billion visits from users in 123 countries and regions, with total viewing time reaching around 700 million hours.

Losses for rights holders were estimated at 704.8 billion yen for June alone, based on the assumption that users finish reading a 500-yen comic book in 30 minutes.

This would translate to roughly 8.5 trillion yen a year, according to the Tokyo-based group, which includes members from the publishing, e-book distribution, and related industries.

Piracy websites have long been a major concern for Japanese publishers, artists, and authors, as new sites continue to appear, often changing domains to evade detection.

By country, Indonesia accounted for the largest share of total viewing time for illegal manga at 12.8%, followed by Japan at 12.4% and the United States at 11.2%, the study found.

English was the most common language used on pirate sites, accounting for 51%, followed by Japanese at 16%. Chinese and Vietnamese tied for third, each with 6%, Mainichi Japan also reported.