Japanese Games and Anime Piracy has Almost Tripled in Three Years

Online piracy of Japanese games and anime has nearly tripled over the past three years, increasing from a total of ¥2 trillion (~$12.9 billion USD) to ¥5.7T (~ $36.9B), according to a new Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) survey. METI survey, conducted by Content Overseas Distribution Promotion Association (CODA) and released on Jan 26, underscored the mounting pressure on Japan’s globally expanding content industry and export sectors.

METI estimates that by combining digital piracy and counterfeit physical goods, the total economic loss linked to piracy and illegal distribution climbed to ¥10.4T (~$67.4B). The survey evaluated consumers from France, the United States, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Brazil markets, across five major categories of content piracy: film (including anime and video content), music, games, publishing (books, manga, and the like), and character goods (merchandise).

The ministry described that while per-capita consumption of pirated content has shown signs of decline, overall damage continues to rise due to exchange rates, price differences, and an increased number of pirated content users.

The survey also hints that the global demand for Japanese anime and games has accelerated faster over the last three years.

METI Response to Japanese Games and Anime Piracy

METI’s survey breaks down piracy damage across multiple content categories, showing anime and video content (film category) among the most heavily affected segments, increasing from ¥800B (~$5.24B) in 2022 to a staggering ¥2.3T (~$15.0B) in 2025. The most impacted segment was the publishing category, which observed a damage of ¥2.6T (~$17.0B).

Music and Games sections recorded relatively lesser economic damages, ¥300B (~$1.96B) and  ¥500B (~$3.27B), respectively, with a moderate increase from the 2022-recorded damage of ¥100B (~$654.8M) in both segments.

In response, METI acknowledged that enforcement alone is insufficient; the goal is to guide consumers from pirated versions to legitimate versions of the content. The ministry stressed the need to expand legitimate global distribution pathways, improve licensing, expedite litigation systems, and strengthen cooperation with local authorities.

The strategy also includes continued support for copyright protection initiatives led by groups such as the CODA, and strengthening measures against infringement using gen-AI and counterfeit character goods, while establishing a database of rights ownership.

This economic alert arrives as the country's 'Cool Japan' initiative aims to elevate content exports to a target of 20T (~$31.2B) by 2033, underscoring the necessity of mitigating these losses. Throughout 2025, multiple Japanese companies, such as Shueisha and Crunchyroll, have taken steps to curb piracy.

Disclaimer: The original survey in Japanese was machine-translated.