Pokémon cards are so valuable that criminals are using them to launder dirty money, Japanese media reports

Criminals are using ingenious methods to find Pokémon card packs containing rares and then reselling them to launder money.
(UPDATED) Visa payment suspended on legal dating site for otaku, prompting response from Japanese politician

Japanese Diet member Taro Yamada criticizes sudden bans by international payment processors that impact legally operating companies and their customers.
Hunter x Hunter author reveals he was bedridden for several days following manga hiatus announcement

Following the serialization hiatus announced last week, Hunter x Hunter mangaka Yoshihiro Togashi has given an update on his health.
Studio Ghibli to crack down on unauthorized merch, promising to take strict legal action

Studio Ghibli announced that it will take legal action against the selling of unauthorized products that use the anime studio's IPs
Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno is only providing support for new Gundam GQuuuuuux, its real creator is FLCL director Kazuya Tsurumaki, staff emphasizes

While Hideaki Anno is credited as a co-writer on Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, a member of the team has stepped in to redirect the spotlight to Kazuya Tsurumaki, the anime’s director.
New Gundam anime to be co-produced by Evangelion’s studio Khara, with a scenario by Hideaki Anno

Bandai Namco has announced the brand-new Gundam TV anime series, titled Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (Sieg Axe).
“Let’s meet again in hell” Japanese out-of-print manga archive Manga Library Z begrudgingly shuts down, but swears to be back

After having all of its payment options disabled, Manga Library Z officially shut down on November 26, but J-Comi promises to bring it back.
Attack on Titan voice actor Yuki Kaji releases official voice synthesizer to counter people feeding his voice to AI without permission

Top Japanese voice actor Yuki Kaji has crowdfunded and released official synthesized voices to tackle unauthorized generative AI use.
(Updated) Guy who married Hatsune Miku gives deeper insight into why he did it

Akihiro Kondo, who married Vocaloid and virtual idol Hatsune Miku in 2018, reveals that the decision wasn't motivated by love.
One of Japan’s biggest manga publishers is stepping up to pay authors significantly higher wages

Shueisha has announced an upwards revision of how much they pay Weekly Shōnen Jump authors, including newcomers.
Anime fans encouraged to resume “normal fan activities” after three people got arrested for running an anime spoiler website

Anime production committee of Overlord makes an announcement to fans following arrests related to an anime spoiler site.
Japanese manga store Melonbooks offers customers discount for using AMEX and JCB credit cards to counter issues with international payment processors

International payment processors' tightening adult content regulations lead Melonbooks to offer a discount to encourage customers to switch payment methods
Japanese manga and game store Melonbooks becomes the latest Japanese platform to run into trouble with international payment processors

Melonbooks is suspending Mastercard and Visa payments, likely due to demands from international payment processors related to adult content.
Japan’s game and anime industries could be looking at improved working conditions and higher wages with government’s new plan to quadruple the content industry’s worth by 2033

Japan aims to make content creation the driving force of the country’s economy- identifying anime and video games as core industries
Bandai Namco aims to resolve Gundam model scarcity issues with a whole new factory

Bandai Spirits has announced that their new factory for Gundam models kits (Gunpla) and figures will open in the next fiscal year.
Japan is losing an archive of out-of-print manga because of international credit card companies

Manga Library Z, a manga archive with 14 years of history, will be shutting down this month due to credit card companies taking issue with its adult content.
Japan sees first arrest for running an anime and film “spoiler site”

Three men in Tokyo, Japan have been arrested for copyright infringement for hosting a so -called spoiler site for popular anime and films.
VTuber company behind Hololive warned by Japanese government for violations of subcontractor laws

Cover Corp, the company that owns the VTuber agency Hololive, has been issued guidance for violating Japan's Subcontract Act.
Creator behind Evangelion’s iconic Cruel Angel’s Thesis opening song admits to never having watched the anime

Not everyone who loves Neon Genesis Evangelion's hit opening song has watched the anime, and this includes the lyricist.
Giant Gundam statue in Osaka, Japan gets completed despite complaints about “lame” pose

The brand new life-sized RX-78F00/E Gundam statue installed for Expo 2025 is being widely criticized for its pose.
Japan’s top voice actors band together to fight against their voices being used to train AI without permission

26 of Japan's top voice actors have launched the No More Unauthorized Generative AI campaign to encourage dialogue on gen AI usage.
Japanese gaming convention tackles scalpers by threatening to print their faces and personal information onto merch

A gaming convention in Japan has recently come up with an interesting way of dealing with scalpers, offering them a choice between two “punishments” if they are caught. Gaming Bazaar is a casual market event held periodically around Japan where…