Online reading sites–There are actually fewer Japanese sites of this nature and more unauthorized English and other translated versions. Six typical methods of illegal distribution with brief descriptions: The campaign website also describes in a paneled comic strip how the illegal distribution of manga affects the manga creation process, along with six of the most typical methods of illegal distribution that readers should be on the lookout for. For those who are unconvinced about the actual monetary losses on the side of the publishing companies, the following data are backed by several official reports on the subject:Įstimated damage within Japan: 50 billion yenĮstimated damage within the U.S.: 1.3 trillion yenĮstimated damage from Haruka Yume no Ato, the largest manga pirating ring in Japan: 73.1 billion yenĮstimated damage from pirate site Manga Mura: 320 billion yen The site explains that the illegal industry often collect high profits from ad revenue and website membership fees. It’s connected to empowering and protecting manga authors so that they can continue producing new content. It is accompanied by text saying: “Let’s stop looking at illegal sites of pirated manga! This is a notice for the ‘STOP! Pirated versions’ campaign that many publishing companies are participating in. Weekly Shonen Jump and other staples of the manga industry have had enough with online pirating. Citing rapid growth in the illegal distribution of comics and manga anthologies since last year, Japan’s Shuppan Koho Center (“Publications PR Center”) is spearheading an effort to bring together several mainstay publishers such as Shogakukan (Weekly Shonen Sunday), Shueisha (Weekly Shonen Jump), Kodansha (Weekly Shonen Magazine), and Kadokawa (Young Ace) and promote awareness of the issue with the general public.Ībove is one of the campaign ads that the editorial team of globally popular Weekly Shonen Jump (the home of "Dragon Ball," "One Piece," "Naruto") shared last week.