logo
Couple nabbed over sales of pirated discs of Japan pop band concerts

Couple nabbed over sales of pirated discs of Japan pop band concerts

Japan Today8 hours ago
A couple in Tokyo have been arrested for allegedly selling pirated discs featuring performances by Japanese pop band Mrs. Green Apple and other counterfeit items, police said.
Akihiro Takayama, a 39-year-old company executive, and his Chinese wife, Chen Lili, 37, were arrested Tuesday for suspected copyright violations through sales of unapproved DVDs and Blu-rays at an online flea market between last July and November.
Police searched their home and a warehouse in Tokyo and confiscated roughly 2,200 items, including pirated versions of the popular "One Piece" manga series.
The couple are believed to have sold bootleg discs in sets, with the price of each set ranging from 5,000 yen ($34) to 10,000 yen, according to the police.
The case came to light after a woman in Ishikawa Prefecture who purchased a set consulted the police after noticing differences from authentic discs.
© KYODO
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Japan puppetry troupe led by former US professor to debut comedic adaptation in Tokushima
Japan puppetry troupe led by former US professor to debut comedic adaptation in Tokushima

The Mainichi

timean hour ago

  • The Mainichi

Japan puppetry troupe led by former US professor to debut comedic adaptation in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA -- A puppetry troupe led by a former U.S. university professor who relocated to west Japan's Tokushima Prefecture, the home of traditional "ningyo joruri" puppetry, will perform on July 19 at the Tokushima Prefectural Folk Culture Hall in this prefectural capital. The Tokubei-za theater troupe, headed by 67-year-old Martin Holman, plans to debut its puppet adaptation of the "kyogen" traditional comedic play "Kaminari" (thunder) at the 79th Awa Ningyo Joruri Summer Festival. "I want it to be a show the entire family can enjoy, filled with laughter," Holman said enthusiastically. "Kaminari" is a comedy that begins as the Thunder God falls from the sky to earth with a thunderclap. After sustaining a back injury, the deity encounters a quack doctor who treats him with acupuncture and is demanded to pay. The god, having no money, promises to provide 800 years of perfect weather without droughts or floods instead. Holman's passion for puppetry began in childhood, and he first encountered "Kaminari" as a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, in a Japanese literature class. Deeply moved by the story's appeal "to all family members, from children to the elderly," he had dreamed of turning it into a puppet show ever since. In 2017, Holman retired from his position at the University of Missouri and relocated to the city of Tokushima in September 2019. The following month, he founded the Tokubei-za troupe, crafting his own puppets to perform traditional pieces such as "Sanbaso" and Japanese lion dances in puppet form. Just as he was preparing to adapt "Kaminari" into a puppet show in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe. Tokubei-za's activities were suddenly halted, and the troupe, which once had 11 members, eventually disbanded due to individual circumstances, leaving Holman as the sole remaining member. As the pandemic eased, Holman started recruitment efforts for new members. Inspired by his enthusiasm for "Kaminari," new members, including several non-Japanese performers, gradually joined. In February 2024, Holman attended a performance by Warotena! Kyogen Club in the Tokushima Prefecture town of Aizumi, and recruited two members to serve as narrators for the puppet show. By spring, the troupe had finally resumed joint rehearsals with the new lineup. Holman himself handcrafted some of the puppets for "Kaminari," sculpting the heads from clay and sewing the costumes with a sewing machine. The Thunder God puppet, with its large round eyes, has a cute design reminiscent of characters from the American children's educational show "Sesame Street." Holman wrote the script in English, which was then translated into Japanese by other troupe members. The narrators from the kyogen club apparently further adjusted it to better suit their performing styles. Yoko Hashimoto, a 71-year-old resident of the city of Tokushima who manipulates the puppets, said, "I operate them (the puppets) while thinking about how to make the movements expressive and fun. I want the audience to enjoy it." Tokubei-za is currently recruiting new members, and welcomes beginners. For inquiries, please contact Holman at 080-4562-8319.

Kumamoto: Shark-Attack Sequel Filmed at Onsen Resorts; Tourism Board Hopes for Fans to Visit Featured Locations
Kumamoto: Shark-Attack Sequel Filmed at Onsen Resorts; Tourism Board Hopes for Fans to Visit Featured Locations

Yomiuri Shimbun

time3 hours ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Kumamoto: Shark-Attack Sequel Filmed at Onsen Resorts; Tourism Board Hopes for Fans to Visit Featured Locations

OGUNI, Kumamoto — A shark-attack movie was filmed on the steam-filled streets of hot spring resorts in Oguni, Kumamoto Prefecture. The movie is a sequel to 'Hotspring Sharkattack,' which was released nationwide in 2024 and is based on the idea of sharks rampaging through Japanese hot spring towns. Oguni tourism officials hope that 'Hotspring Sharkattack 2' will lure viewers to sites shown in the film. According to the Aso Oguni Tourism Association, which cooperated with the filming, producers were keen to use the town as a location for filming and the local community had been cooperative. The film will feature Aso's natural scenery and its scale will be greater than the first installment. Filming took place from June 2 to 9, and 140 residents and town officials took part as extras. They enthusiastically ran away from the sharks and took shelter at an evacuation center in Tsuetate and Waita hot spring resorts. Actor Hiroshi Katsuno, who hails from the town, has a role in the film. The film is slated for release in 2026. 'In addition to the hot springs, many fun places throughout the town will be featured in the film,' the association's spokesperson said. 'We hope that those who watch the movie come to stay at a hot spring inn and explore the town.'

1 in 7 coaches of young athletes in Japan say teams targeted by voyeurism
1 in 7 coaches of young athletes in Japan say teams targeted by voyeurism

The Mainichi

time3 hours ago

  • The Mainichi

1 in 7 coaches of young athletes in Japan say teams targeted by voyeurism

OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Around one in seven coaches of track and field athletes believe their team members, including school students, have been targeted for voyeurism, a survey by a Japanese athletics association showed Saturday, amid growing concerns in the sports world over the capturing and sharing of sexualized images. In the survey that received responses from 555 of around 6,300 coaches, many teaching students from elementary to high schools, 75 acknowledged that their teams were surreptitiously photographed, apparently with sexual intentions, during competitions, while 18 said such incidents happened even during practice and other activities. In some serious cases, coaches contacted the police, while in others, images posted by students on social media were later discovered on pornographic websites. "Incidents have still not decreased, given that spectators have returned after the coronavirus pandemic," the Japan Association of Athletics Federations said. The association sent a questionnaire in March last year to officially recognized coaches overseeing club activities of elementary, junior and senior high school students, as well as university and corporate teams. The 75 reports of voyeurism included a case in which a video zooming in on an athlete crossing the finish line appeared for sale, and a photo of another's buttocks was taken by someone who followed them from behind, with more images from competitions appearing online as athletes gained prominence. Asked about how they responded, 34 coaches said they reported the matter to competition organizers or consulted with them, while 13 turned to the police to act and 10 said they directly dealt with the situation at the scene. Coaches also said voyeurism that occurred during practice and club activities involved an "an unrelated person on a practice field" or "a stranger with a camera who took photos of athletes running in a park," among others. To avoid athletes being targeted, they said they are paying attention to athletes' sporting attire, alerting the players and their parents to the issue and restricting unrelated individuals from entering the field. Some called for financial assistance to take countermeasures, including hiring security guards, saying they are "shorthanded." Voyeurism targeting athletes has become increasingly serious in recent years due to the spread of social media and improvement of camera performance, with the Japanese Olympic Committee and other sporting organizations vowing efforts to eliminate such sexual harassment in a joint statement in 2020. While a law that took effect in 2023 criminalizes the taking of voyeuristic images for sexually exploitative purposes, it does not apply to athletes wearing sportswear due to the difficulty of determining any sexual intent of the person taking the image.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store