The Japanese government recently announced the launch of a project utilizing artificial intelligence technology to combat online piracy of manga and anime. According to data from the Tokyo Bureau of Cultural Affairs, there are currently at least 1,000 websites illegally offering free downloads of Japanese manga and anime. These sites are accused of causing the Japanese cultural industry to lose billions of dollars each year. In response to this issue, the Japanese government has proposed a pilot program with a total budget of 300 million yen (approximately 2 million USD).
The program will utilize an image and text detection system powered by artificial intelligence to scan the internet for infringing content. Officials from the Bureau of Cultural Affairs stated that copyright holders have spent significant human resources manually searching for pirated content, and that the personnel responsible for manual reviews "can hardly keep up" with the ever-increasing amount of illegal content. Therefore, employing AI technology will greatly enhance detection efficiency.
This initiative was inspired by similar projects in South Korea, and if successful, it may also expand to monitor other illegally shared film and music works in the future. The Japanese government hopes that this action will protect the nation's cultural assets and promote the development of its creative industries. Japan is the birthplace of manga and game series such as "Dragon Ball," "Super Mario," and "Final Fantasy," and the creative industry is regarded as an important driver of economic growth, alongside sectors like steel and semiconductors.
According to the Japanese government, in 2022, the gaming, anime, and manga industries generated 47 trillion yen (approximately 30 billion USD) in revenue from overseas, nearly equivalent to the 57 trillion yen from semiconductors. Furthermore, about 70% of the piracy websites offering Japanese content operate in foreign languages such as English, Chinese, and Vietnamese, which further complicates efforts to combat piracy.
To promote the development of the cultural industry, the Japanese government announced in the "Cool Japan" strategy released in June that it aims to increase the export value of these cultural assets to 20 trillion yen (approximately 130 billion USD) by 2033.
Key Points:
🛡️ Japan plans to use artificial intelligence technology to combat manga and anime piracy.
💰 Piracy websites cause the Japanese cultural industry to lose billions of dollars annually.
🌍 The government hopes to promote the further development of the creative industry by protecting cultural assets.
