The United States is now collaborating with Japanese publishers in order to identify and potentially prosecute manga leakers on social media.

According to AnimeAnime, a Japanese news site, the US has issued an order for sites to provide the identity of online leakers.

This is a case in which Aniplex and Toho, members of CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association), filed a request for disclosure of information in a US court in June 2024 regarding so-called “leak accounts” that obtain anime before it is broadcast on television or distributed online and post it on social media. The court issued an order to disclose information on August 20, and the service procedure was carried out on August 30.

Translation: Google

This could be the first time that the US has gotten involved in copyright issues in Japan. Western-based fans have historically been pretty safe from consequences when it comes to leaking and disseminating manga materials (especially when they haven’t been licensed in the west yet). However between this, and the recent crackdown on manga piracy sites this may be changing.

The leaks in this particular case are allegedly focused on Jujutsu Kaisen and Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

However this isn’t the first time that Japan has asked a foreign government to step in on the issue of manga leaks and piracy. In 2019 a Japanese national was deported by authorities in the Philippines over running the pirate site Manga-Mura.