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Media & Entertainment

China shuts pirate site for Japanese anime in criminal probe

Rare crackdown prompted by requests from Japan distributors

The b9good website was accessed 300 million times in 2021 and 2022, piracy watchdog CODA reports. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura; some copyrighted content has been obscured)

TOKYO -- Chinese authorities have shut down a website that hosted pirated Japanese anime, sources close to the probe told Nikkei on Monday, a move that follows complaints from Japanese distributors.

The portal b9good, which began operations around 2008, illegally hosted live-action television dramas uploaded almost immediately after the broadcast. The closure is believed to be the first ever law enforcement action against a pirated content site.

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