Japanese government wants AI to fight anime piracy after $73 billion lost

by

In 2025, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry estimated that illegal copies of its content were worth 5.7 trillion yen overseas.

This totals around $37 billion, which is almost three times the estimated $12.8 billion lost to piracy last year.

So, they actually started counting all the fake merch now – things like bootleg plushies, figures, and other stuff made without permission. And honestly, it adds up to a crazy amount – around 4.7 trillion yen! That brings the total value of all the pirated stuff to a massive 10.4 trillion yen, which is about $73 billion. It’s wild to think about how much money is lost to piracy!

For the first time, the estimated financial damage from piracy has exceeded 10 trillion yen, signaling a critical point for the Japanese economy.

To address this issue, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has proposed using artificial intelligence to lower production costs and reduce overall losses. However, public opinion on this approach is divided.

Japanese Ministry of Trade floats AI to help combat pirated content

According to TBS News Dig, the Ministry explained its significant financial loss was caused by the declining value of the yen and increasing prices for goods. They plan to use AI to produce local news content more affordably, hoping to regain profitability.

This plan has sparked a lot of debate among Japanese viewers, with opinions divided in online discussions.

The issue isn’t really about errors in English grammar or inaccurate translations, but the overall quality of the content generated by AI translation tools, according to one observer.

Someone exclaimed their frustration, noting the issue began three decades ago. They warned that even if artificial intelligence makes creating this problem cheap, it will continue unchecked internationally without agreed-upon rules to stop its spread.

I was reading about how Japan is really stepping up its game against anime and manga piracy, and it’s not the first time they’ve turned to AI! Apparently, back in December 2025, the government put about 100 million yen towards building an AI that can automatically find stolen manga pages and track down where they’re being shared online. It’s pretty cool to see them using technology to protect creators’ work.

This announcement follows the country’s unveiling of a $130 billion plan last November to promote its entertainment content, such as games and anime, internationally.

Read More

2026-05-27 22:48