China shuts pirate site for Japanese anime in criminal probe

Rare crackdown prompted by requests from Japan distributors

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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)

AKINOBU IWASAWA, Nikkei staff writer

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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