Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released survey results on January 26 showing a sharp increase in piracy-related damages to Japanese content. The findings reveal that piracy cost the country 5.7 trillion yen (approximately $36.9 billion USD) in 2025, nearly three times the 2 trillion yen ($12.9 billion USD) recorded in 2022.

The 2025 survey introduced new categories, including character merchandise. When factoring in these additions, total damages reach 10.4 trillion yen (about $67.4 billion USD).

The survey collected data from consumers in Japan, China, Vietnam, France, the United States, and Brazil. Researchers calculated estimated damages based on responses about pirated content consumption across five main categories: film (including anime and video content), publishing (books and manga), music, video games, and character merchandise.

All categories saw damages roughly triple over the three-year period. Publications led with 2.6 trillion yen in damages, followed by film at 2.3 trillion yen. Video games accounted for 500 billion yen in damages, while music piracy reached 100 billion yen.

According to METI, the amount of pirated content consumed per person has actually decreased compared to previous years. However, total damages have risen due to several factors: price and exchange rate changes, a growing number of online users accessing pirated content, and the increasing global popularity of Japanese entertainment.

METI stated it will continue working to reduce piracy damages through various measures, including creating new partnerships with local authorities in other countries, strengthening legal systems for pursuing copyright violations, developing frameworks to address AI-generated content infringement and counterfeit merchandise, and building rights ownership databases to speed up legal procedures. However, the ministry acknowledged that anti-piracy measures alone cannot solve the problem. As long as demand for Japanese content exists worldwide, pirated versions will continue to appear.