On March 20, 2026, CODA visited the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam and met with Naoki Ito, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
In recent years, copyright infringement involving pirated content such as manga and anime on the internet has become increasingly serious, exerting a significant impact on Japan’s content industry. In particular, there has been a growing number of cases in which operators of pirate websites and related bases are reported to be located in Vietnam, making the strengthening of countermeasures through international cooperation an urgent issue.
During the visit, CODA was accompanied by a Japan-qualified lawyer based in Vietnam who collaborates with the organization. Together with a First Secretary at the Embassy who has been actively engaged in anti-piracy efforts, they exchanged views on practical challenges and the latest developments regarding the identification and enforcement against pirate website operators. The discussion covered a wide range of issues, including the difficulty of identifying operators, methods of evidence collection, consistency with local legal frameworks, and practical obstacles encountered in enforcement.
Following these discussions, CODA met with Ambassador Ito to share their understanding of the current situation and exchange views on the direction of future cooperation. The Ambassador noted that in Vietnam, a resolution of the Communist Party Politburo positions culture as a foundation of national development and an important driving force. He also introduced that Vietnam has recently achieved economic growth of approximately 8 percent and is aiming for further development with the prospect of double-digit growth in the future. Under such a positive environment, the importance of efforts toward the sound development of the content sector and expectations for future progress were expressed.
CODA will continue to work in cooperation with relevant ministries and agencies, overseas diplomatic missions, and local authorities to further strengthen anti-piracy measures in order to protect the healthy development of Japan’s content industry.
(Translated using an automatic translation system.)
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.