Two suspected leakers have been arrested in Japan, and police have revealed an impressive stockpile of documents from Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece and other Shonen Jump publications.
The two men, aged 36 and 34, are said to be foreign nationals based in Tokyo. They are accused of copyright infringement after publishing advance scans of Shonen Jump magazine, revealing key plot points from popular manga like Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece, then shared on social media.
Leaks have become a large and regular part of the manga release cycle, with titles often going viral in the lead-up to a chapter’s release. Even to the point that some accounts on
According to local authorities, both men denied some of the accusations, saying they did not make the images public themselves.
Police Reveal Impressive Seizure of Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece After Leakers Arrest
According to The Asahi Shimbun, police believe that an advance copy of a Shonen Jump publication was acquired by the leakers in March last year. “The two conspired to publish the final episode of a manga currently serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump on a website, around March 15, 2023, before the magazine’s release date,” the outlet wrote.
Police just released to the press the Shonen Jump and other items seized from the leakers. Taking a closer look, we can see “that watermark”.😭 pic.twitter.com/0stqgz4Xg4
— sandman (@sandman_AP) February 4, 2024
“The police have just revealed to the press the elements of Shonen Jump and others found among the leakers. If we look closer, we can see “this watermark” “
The suspects are also accused of “taking an image from a manga published five days before its official release and copying it using a smartphone,” as reported by NHK. Police believe the men were involved in several leaks related to Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece before Shonen Jump’s release. Investigations are still underway into other people who could be involved in the operation.
Shueisha, the editor of Shonen Jump, said in a statement (reported by @sandman_ap): “We hope that the police’s clarification of the spoilers’ route will help prevent future harm. We will continue to take all possible measures to protect the rights to the works in which the authors put all their heart and soul, and to guarantee the best conditions for readers to discover manga.”
Minya Tomishige, head of the Intellectual Property Division at Shueisha, also said: “The fact that the works are read for free has resulted in a situation where the authors do not receive a fair profit. We believe that taking photos of manga without permission and posting them on social media constitutes copyright infringement, and we demand that this behavior be stopped. This is an unforgivable act, which could shake the entire industry.”
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