On October 17, 2025, the Japan-China Copyright Protection Symposium was held in Qingdao, China, jointly organized by CODA and the Copyright Society of China (CSC).
This symposium marks the ninth seminar jointly organized by CODA and CSC, and the fourth Japan-China seminar conducted by CODA as a project commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, following the event held last December.
This symposium featured experts in intellectual property rights from both Japan and China, who presented the latest information on initiatives and challenges concerning intellectual property protection. Topics include the current state of the content industry, measures against intellectual property infringement, and case studies of specific copyright violations.
Once again, this symposium provided an opportunity to share both country’s understanding of intellectual property rights protection, alongside a lively exchange of views aimed at promoting negotiation in related fields and future cooperation.
Under the chairmanship of Du Xian, Vice-Chairman and Secretary General of the CSC, opening addresses were delivered by Wang Zhicheng, Director General of the Copyright Department of the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC); Hiromichi Moriyama, Director-General, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan; Zhou Huilin, Chairman of the Board of the CSC; and Yo Sonoda, Minister of the Information and Culture Center Embassy of Japan in China.
In the subsequent keynote address, Naohiro Kaji, Director of the Culture and Creative Industries Division, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Government of Japan, delivered a presentation titled The Market Size of Japanese Content Overseas. He outlined the Japanese government’s initiatives through METI, covering the growth strategy for Japan’s content industry through public-private partnerships, and an overview of the anti-piracy measures entrusted to CODA and challenges it faced. Katsuyoshi Kobayashi, Director of the Copyright Division, Office for International Copyrights at the Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA), Government of Japan delivered a presentation entitled Cross-Border Copyright Infringement Countermeasures and International Cooperation in Japan. He outlined the current state of piracy affecting Japanese content and the Japanese government’s initiatives through the Agency for Cultural Affairs, including copyright education and awareness campaigns, and the establishment of international cooperation frameworks.
Takero Goto, Representative Director of CODA, delivered a presentation titled Current Status and Future Prospects of Countering Pirated Japanese Content and Counterfeit Character Goods Overseas. He outlined the rising global popularity of Japanese content and the state of concurrent infringement. He then introduced the CODA’s Anti-Counterfeit Character Goods Committee , established in May 2025, and emphasized the importance of international collaboration.
The symposium was a significant opportunity to share new aspects of intellectual property protection and future prospects in the content industry, which has been expanding globally in recent years.
Note that this activity was part of a project commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
■The Homepage for the Copyright Society of China (CSC)
https://www.csccn.org.cn
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About CODA
CODA (Content Overseas Distribution Association) was established in 2002 at the call of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to promote the overseas development of Japanese content and take anti-piracy measures. Japan’s proud content, including music, movies, anime, broadcast programs, video games, and publishing, plays an important role in enhancing the nation’s international presence and economic growth. As digital technology becomes more widespread, it is even more significant to protect Japan’s content from increasingly artful copyright infringement and promote the content industry’s development. CODA contributes to the deterrence and detection of online and other piracy, by sharing knowledge with relevant government agencies, organizations, and companies in Japan and abroad, to engage in direct and indirect anti-piracy measures, as well as public relations activities. Visit https://coda-cj.jp/en/activity/ for more information on CODA’s projects.