Japan turns to AI to hunt down overseas manga, anime pirates
Piracy costs publishers an estimated US$55 billion a year, forcing a hi-tech shift to protect a sector aiming to rival car exports by 2033
The move comes as creators increasingly look to overseas markets for growth amid stagnating manga and anime sales at home, observers say.
A report by the anti-piracy organisation Authorised Books of Japan last month estimated that illegal online distribution had deprived publishers of about 8.5 trillion yen (US$55 billion) annually.
But the plan is far from foolproof. AI may still lack the sophistication needed to make reliable copyright calls, experts say, while enforcement becomes difficult when pirate sites are hosted abroad – especially in jurisdictions unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute offenders.
The Japanese government has grand plans for the sector, aiming to quadruple annual overseas sales of anime, manga and games to about US$130 billion by 2033 – nearly double the value of yearly car exports, according to Bloomberg – as part of its “Cool Japan” strategy.