Online Piracy of Japanese Anime, Manga, and Games Caused $15 Billion Loss in 2021

Online piracy of anime and manga has caused a whopping loss of around 2 trillion yen ($15 billion) in 2021, according to a recent study.

As reportedd by Kyodo News, the Tokyo-based Content Overseas Distribution Association has estimated that the pandemic led to anime-manga piracy losses increasing by five times when compared to 2019. People spending more time indoors due to the pandemic has been attributed as one of the major reasons for this increase.

The survey analysed four types of entertainment media: video, published content, video games, and music. According to the survey results, losses to the various industries were estimated to be between 1.9 and 2.2 trillion yen. The biggest losses were reported in anime and other video content, which contributed to losses of 906.5 billion to 1.4 trillion yen. Manga and other published media were estimated to have lost 395.2 billion to 831.1 billion yen.

Since 2021, the Content Overseas Distribution Association has taken stringent measures to shut down pirate websites. The association has backing from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and has been successful in shutting down dozens of anime piracy sites even in countries outside of Japan, such as Brazil and China.

India also has a huge piracy problem when it comes to anime and manga content. Anime is primarily consumed online via piracy sites. This includes sites which are used globally by fans for watching anime content in Japanese and English, but also local sites operating in India which host anime dubbed in Hindi and other regional languages. Bootleg manga has also been on the rise, with many online and offline sellers selling unofficial manga copies at cheap prices.