Japan arrests manga leakers of foreign nationality 

On February 5, Japanese publisher Shueisha released a statement about the arrest of individuals suspected of violating copyright laws pertaining to the manga magazine “Weekly Shōnen Jump” by posting leaks of manga prior to publication (via Oricon News). 

Internationally popular manga titles such as One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen are the most often leaked manga, with text spoilers, screenshots and whole chapters regularly popping up several days prior to official release dates on social media and sites hosting illegal downloads. The market for such leaks is predominantly non-Japanese, and the two individuals arrested for their distribution this time around were both non-Japanese residents (Source: NHK News). 

According to Shueisha, on February 4, Japanese police arrested a company manager and another individual residing in Tokyo, Japan on suspicion of violating the Copyright Act. The two had allegedly been obtaining and digitizing Weekly Shōnen Jump manga prior to official release dates and uploading them to illegal websites.  

Shueisha comments that the original source of the leaks is still being investigated, but that they have made “big steps towards solving the issue” with the measures taken this time around. By getting to the source of the leaks, Shueisha hopes to prevent such incidents happening in the future.  

The company has made it clear that they consider the distribution of manga leaks via social media and other means an “extremely serious issue,” stating that the act robs other readers of enjoyment and causes great distress to manga authors. Shueisha has declared that they will continue to pursue leakers in order to “protect the rights of the authors who pour their souls into their creations” and to “ensure readers can properly enjoy manga.” 

Meanwhile, user responses to this incident have highlighted differences in attitude towards leakers overseas and in Japan, as the Japanese public appears to be overwhelmingly supportive of the arrests and ongoing investigation, viewing illicit leaks as more of a serious crime that harms authors. On the other hand, responses among non-Japanese communities are a lot more mixed, with some even fearing for the future of leaks.