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July 03, 2026
 

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Alibaba’s American depositary receipts sank to a session low on the news, falling more than 3% to $99.10 at 3:38 p.m. in New York on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2026
Anthropic accuses Alibaba of ‘illicitly’ accessing AI models
The U.S. AI developer had previously decided to keep its products out of China.
A cyber extortion group has claimed that pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk refused the group's demand of $25 million after stealing more than a terabyte of data from the company.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2026
Hacking group claims major attack of Novo Nordisk and attempted $25 million extortion
FulcrumSec, a cyber extortion group that emerged in October 2025, has said in a message ‌posted online that it spent more than two months in Novo Nordisk’s ​networks stealing data.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted an apparently AI-generated video on his digital platform Truth Social last Saturday that included a short segment depicting himself dressed as the protagonist from the popular anime franchise "Naruto.”
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2026
Japan pushes back on Trump’s anime posts
President Donald Trump’s use of Japanese anime-style imagery on his social media account has not gone over well in Japan.
A popular voice actor has sued TikTok’s operator over videos allegedly using an AI-generated imitation of his voice without permission.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 26, 2026
Actor files lawsuit against TikTok operator over AI-generated voice use
The lawsuit, filed with the Tokyo District Court by Kenjiro Tsuda last November, is believed to be the first of its kind in Japan.
A SkyFall P1-Sun interceptor drone during trials in Ukraine in March. Through a combination of new technology and tactics, Kyiv’s forces have been able to strike deep into Russian territory, to slow and in some cases even reverse battlefield gains by Moscow’s bigger army and inflict significant damage on oil facilities that help finance the Kremlin’s war machine.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2026
U.S. seeking transfer of intellectual property rights in drone deal, Kyiv says
Washington appears interested in getting access to critical technologies and rights that would allow it to replicate the equipment, a source said.
The culture agency is looking to pass the copyright revision in the current parliamentary session ending in July and aims to have the law take effect within the next three years.
JAPAN / Society
May 15, 2026
Copyright law revision to extend compensation for artists
The Cabinet on Friday pushed forward the bill, which, once passed by parliament, aims to pass on usage fees to musicians.
A new crackdown on online piracy and counterfeit goods by Vietnam will also tackle copyright violations by ‌computer programs, movies, music, TV shows and online video games.
BUSINESS
May 6, 2026
Vietnam cracks down on online piracy and counterfeit goods amid U.S. tariff threat
Washington revived the prospect of fresh tariffs last week over Hanoi’s ​“persistent failure” to tackle intellectual property violations.
Chen Li-ming, a former Tokyo Electron employee, arrives at the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court for a verdict in a trade secrets case involving Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Tokyo Electron’s Taiwan unit, in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 27, 2026
Former Tokyo Electron staff gets decade in jail for TSMC breach
Taiwan’s Intellectual Property and Commercial Court also handed out jail sentences on four others and fined Tokyo Electron’s local unit.
Japan's Zoom asked Zoom Video Communications to stop using the logo for the videoconferencing service in April 2020.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2026
Zoom ordered to pay damages for violating Japan firm’s trademark
In handing down the ruling, the presiding judge acknowledged that the two companies’ logos were similar in appearance and name.
The Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association is calling for social media platforms to adopt stricter regulations toward those engaged in illegal postings.
JAPAN / Media
Mar 23, 2026
¥3.2 billion lost in advertising revenue due to illicit postings on YouTube
Given a sampling of only 300 social media accounts for its illegal streaming survey, the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association called its results “only the tip of the iceberg.”
A video posted by the White House featuring a graphic from Nintendo's Wii Sports video game.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2026
Japanese games and manga used in White House’s airstrike videos
The videos have been criticized for making light of deadly attacks.
As Japan accelerates AI adoption, policymakers and corporations frame the technology as essential to offsetting a projected labor shortfall of 11 million workers by 2040.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Mar 2, 2026
Japan is betting big on AI. Few workers have used it.
Surveys show strong public confidence, despite shallow workplace adoption and unresolved cultural concerns.
The Cultural Affairs Agency will introduce a new system in April that compels users to pay copyright fees even in cases in which the creator or the copyright holder is not known.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Culture agency to charge fees for use of works by unknown authors
From April, copyright holders of previously unattributed works who come forward after the agency grants usage permission for them can obtain compensation from it.
Visitors at the Tokyo Game Show 2025 held in the city of Chiba in September. The government has set a target of boosting annual overseas sales of Japanese content such as anime and video games to ¥20 trillion by 2033.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 11, 2026
Japan to boost aid for video games and anime as new pillar of growth
Placing the content industry as a new pillar of economic growth, the government set a target of boosting annual overseas sales to ¥20 trillion by 2033.
Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate performs during the men's short program at the ISU Figure Skating European Championships in Sheffield, England on Jan. 15.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Feb 3, 2026
Spanish figure skater says ‘Minions’ music barred due to copyright issue
Tomas-Llorenc Guarino ​Sabate, 26, dressed ‌in a yellow t-shirt and blue overalls during ‌his performance to resemble the popular animated characters.
Japan is cracking down on online piracy and counterfeit products related to Japanese anime, games and other content, which caused over ¥10 trillion in damages.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 27, 2026
Japan content piracy and fake goods cause ¥10.4 trillion in damage
The government is aiming to crack down on illegal activities to reach its goal of increasing overseas sales of the Japanese content industry to ¥20 trillion by 2033.
Cartoonist Mitsuru Yaku (center) and other executives of Freelance League of Japan announces their survey to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 21, 2026
One in 10 Japanese creatives see income fall due to generative AI
Survey respondents cited being asked to accept shorter deadlines and lower fees, or losing commissions altogether.
Japan's content industry — which includes anime, manga and video games — is a major export the country. Such exports were valued at ¥6 trillion ($38 billion) in 2024.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 19, 2026
AI-driven pirated manga is booming. Can AI also help curb it?
While artificial intelligence is driving the spread of pirated manga online, Japanese government officials are hoping AI can also help rein it in.
In a parliamentary debate with party leaders on Nov. 26, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to swiftly draw up legislation related to preventing information theft by foreign entities.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2025
Japan begins studying law to prevent foreign entities from stealing information
The focus will be how to balance the development of a counterintelligence system in light of the severe security environment surrounding Japan and protecting constitutional rights.
Generative AI models are trained on publicly accessible creative content yet offer little to the artists, musicians, coders and others who produce it.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2025
AI thrives on unpaid creative labor
Generative AI models are trained on publicly accessible creative content yet offer little to the artists, musicians, coders and others who produce it.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
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