Illegal Distribution of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Manga Worldwide, Translated Into More Than 50 Languages
On November 19, 2025, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau of China searched the residence of a man living in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on suspicion of copyright infringement. The suspect is alleged to have operated the world’s largest manga piracy site, BATO.TO (including approximately 60 related sites such as xbato.com, bato.to, and mangapark.io), and to have illegally distributed Japanese manga and other works without authorization from rights holders after translating them into more than 50 languages, including English. The man was detained, questioned, and has since been released on bail. He has admitted to operating all of the related sites and is expected to be formally indicted in due course.
Authorities have already seized his personal computers and continue to investigate server data, the operational structure of the sites, and information regarding individuals involved in their operation. CODA has also confirmed that individuals involved in operating these sites, as well as in posting and translating content through related social media channels, are located in multiple countries worldwide. CODA will therefore continue its investigations through international cooperation.
Although the group of sites continued limited operation temporarily after the suspect’s detention for evidence preservation purposes, related parties later announced the shutdown of the services on social media. By January 19, the closure of all 60 sites had been confirmed.
This case was initiated following requests from Japanese publishers—KADOKAWA CORPORATION, KODANSHA LTD., SHUEISHA Inc., SHOGAKUKAN Inc., and SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. On September 25, 2025, CODA’s Beijing Office filed a criminal complaint with the public security bureau of China on behalf of these publishers. In addition, as part of its international collaboration efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of anti-piracy measures, CODA sought cooperation from China Literature Limited, a subsidiary of Tencent Holdings and one of China’s largest online literature platforms. China Literature confirmed that its comics had been unlawfully distributed on BATO.TO, and filed a criminal complaint in coordination with CODA. The fact that these coordinated efforts between Japan and China led to criminal enforcement represents a significant achievement in advancing international intellectual property protection.
BATO.TO was launched in 2014 as a user-submitted piracy site, and it has been revealed that the suspect played a central role in operating the site since at least 2018. The platform hosted unauthorized uploads of popular manga from Japan, as well as Korea and China, translated into more than 50 languages and distributed globally. The site employed geoblocking to prevent access from within China, thereby creating the appearance that no infringement was occurring domestically, while in reality attracting massive global traffic and generating substantial illicit advertising revenue. According to the suspect’s statements, advertising income exceeded 400,000 RMB (approximately 8 million yen) in peak months.
Furthermore, the operator simultaneously ran a large number of similar sites under different domain names. Investigations by CODA and the publishers have confirmed at least 60 such sites. In May 2025 alone, these 60 sites recorded a combined 350 million visits,(1) making BATO.TO effectively the largest manga piracy site in the world. Total traffic over the 37-month period from October 2022 to October 2025 reached approximately 7.2 billion visits, and when applying an estimated access value of 107 yen per manga view,(2) the resulting economic impact amounts to approximately 770 billion yen.
CODA assesses that by operating numerous sites in parallel and dispersing traffic, the operator was able to evade enforcement measures such as crackdowns and site blocking in various countries, allowing large-scale infringement to continue globally over an extended period.
(As of November 2025, with partial image editing)
This case originated from concerns raised about BATO.TO at the Five-Publisher Manga Piracy Countermeasures Meeting held in July 2024.(3) In response, CODA designated the site as a target under its Cross-Border Enforcement Project (CBEP) and initiated countermeasures. Through collaboration with cybersecurity experts, including ethical hackers, CODA conducted open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigations. Upon discovering that Chinese services were being used, CODA worked with a Chinese investigative firm to identify the operator, leading to the filing of a criminal complaint with the China’s public security bureau. CODA has also confirmed that more than 1,000 titles from the works of KADOKAWA, KODANSHA, SHUEISHA, SHOGAKUKAN and SQUARE ENIX—publishers that requested criminal prosecution—were available for viewing on BATO.TO.
Many of the unauthorized translated manga uploaded to BATO.TO were produced through so-called “scanlation,”(4) in which organized teams known as scanlation groups scan manga, remove the original text, insert translated text, and distribute the works online, causing widespread global infringement. In recent years, as Japanese manga and anime have gained increasing worldwide popularity and AI technologies have advanced, the damage caused by such unauthorized manga translations has intensified, with BATO.TO regarded as one of the major distribution hubs.
CODA views this criminal investigation as a groundbreaking case that will serve as an effective deterrent against scanlation and other unauthorized translated manga sites. In addition, CODA has received a report from NTT Solmare Corporation that daily sales on its e-book store “MangaPlaza,” which targets the U.S. market, approximately doubled immediately following the closure of BATO.TO.
In response to the site closures, Takero Goto, Representative Director of CODA, commented: “The closure of the world’s largest manga piracy site through criminal enforcement is highly significant for cross-border anti-piracy efforts. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Chinese authorities, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and all others involved who devoted their efforts to this case.” He also emphasized CODA’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with all relevant parties to fully uncover the facts of the case.
As globalization, digitization, and rapidly advancing AI technologies continue to intensify threats to intellectual property, respecting creative works—born from the ingenuity and tireless efforts of creators—and enjoying them through legitimate channels is essential to supporting cultural development and safeguarding a future rich in creativity.
CODA will continue to actively strengthen cross-border cooperation with relevant organizations and companies to ensure proper protection of Japanese content and promote healthy legitimate distribution.
Note that this activity was part of a project commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
- From SimilarWeb
- Calculated by CODA based on estimates from the FY2025 Content Overseas Expansion Promotion Project (Strengthening Countermeasures Against Intellectual Property Infringement) digital content piracy damage survey
- A piracy countermeasures forum comprising KADOKAWA, KODANSHA, SHUEISHA, SHOGAKUKAN and SQUARE ENIX. CODA has participated as an observer since October 2021.
- A combination of “scan” and “translation,” referring to the act of scanning manga, removing original text, and inserting translated text.
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.