Counterfeit Anime Merchandise Caused US$30 Billion in Damages Last Year
The new merchandise piracy estimate gives Japan's government a baseline to measure its goal of quadrupling the overseas market for Japanese entertainment, a target that requires addressing counterfeit goods that anime companies say are rampant in online shops.
Reporting from 1 sources: Animenomics.
A survey commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry estimated that sales of counterfeit anime and other character products caused ¥4.7 trillion (US$30.4 billion) in financial damages in 2025. The figure is the first to measure the impact of piracy on the merchandise market, as previous editions of the survey only calculated damages from digital content piracy. The survey was conducted by advisory firm PwC Consulting on behalf of the Content Overseas Distribution Association. In a separate finding, internet monitoring firm Adish identified at least 841 counterfeit anime merchandise items with prices totaling ¥22.2 million (US$140,000) being sold online for five top anime airing in the second quarter of 2025. The report also noted that overseas licensees struggle to combat counterfeits because anime companies often lack sufficient chain of title documentation to submit infringement claims. Separately, the newsletter reported that Aniplex acquired anime production planning company Egg Firm, and that a permanent Sailor Moon stage musical production will begin performances in April at Tokyo's Shinagawa Prince Hotel.
The survey, commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, was conducted by PwC Consulting on behalf of the Content Overseas Distribution Association. Previous editions of the survey only calculated damages from digital content piracy. In a 100-point action plan published in June, METI highlighted a need to expand countermeasures beyond digital content to merchandise and other products that Japanese content companies rely on as revenue sources.
One anime licensor wrote in its response to the annual Association of Japanese Animations survey that counterfeit goods are rampant especially in online shops and difficult to crack down on. The same licensor said that except for a few hugely popular top tier titles, most products are not selling, and that merchandise sales have been trending downwards since the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan's domestic market for anime merchandise grew 6.8 percent year-over-year in 2024, according to AJA data.
The newsletter also reported that Aniplex acquired Egg Firm, an anime production planning company founded in 2015 by former Genco producer Nobuhiro Osawa. Egg Firm managed production of titles including The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, and My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999. Its net profit quintupled in the last five years, reaching ¥78.4 million in the fiscal year ending March 2025.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.