Overview

• The Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs has allocated ¥300 million ($2 million) to develop AI technology to detect pirated manga and anime online.
• The AI system will use image and text recognition to identify unlicensed content and streamline takedown requests for rights holders.
• Officials estimate that piracy costs Japan's manga and anime industries ¥2 trillion ($13.4 billion) annually, with 70% of pirate sites operating in foreign languages.
• Inspired by South Korea's anti-piracy efforts, the pilot program could eventually expand to target other media like films and music if successful.
• The initiative aligns with Japan's broader 'Cool Japan' strategy, which aims to boost cultural exports to ¥20 trillion ($130 billion) by 2033.