On December 2, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued another warning: Anyone using peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing software to illegally download an adult video could upload it unsuspectingly – and this could lead to massive copyright claims.
Under the Copyright Act of Japan, it is illegal to download or upload protected works without permission. But the penalties for uploading are much harsher than for downloading alone.
The ministry pointed out that popular P2P apps like BitTorrent and SHARE automatically share complete file segments with other users during download. In practice, this means that most people downloading are also uploading at the same time.
Thanks to a 2022 amendment to Japan's Information Distribution Platform Law, copyright holders can request disclosure of uploader information directly from Internet service providers (ISPs) or through the courts. That data includes names and addresses associated with IP addresses. Simple downloading does not result in disclosure, but uploading does—and that is enough to justify legal claims.
A nationwide survey of ISPs showed that there were 154,484 disclosure requests in 2024. Of those, 147,746—or 95.6%—were linked to adult videos shared through P2P software. This is a record high, exceeding the 93.8% reported in 2023, which highlights the increasing concentration of these cases.
Once the rights holders have the names and addresses, they usually send settlement letters or payment requests by mail. Claims per video often range from 200,000 to 500,000 yen, and if multiple titles are involved, the total can exceed 1 million yen. Some who ignored these letters later faced civil lawsuits.
Officials said that many users were unaware they were uploading. When they suddenly received the disclosure notice, panic spread. ISPs also reported that the sheer volume of requests has overwhelmed their ability to process them, putting a strain on the entire system.
To increase awareness, the ministry launched a dedicated warning site in 2023 and updated it in November 2025. The site makes three points clear:
・"Just downloading" is not a valid excuse
・Anonymous software does not protect you
・Downloading is equivalent to uploading automatically. Pictures explain the process
The National Center for Consumer Affairs also shared actual cases between July and November 2025:
・A 50-year-old man downloaded adult videos using a family computer and received a settlement request of 200,000 yen.
・A 60-year-old man ignored the disclosure notice and eventually filed a claim for 700,000 yen.
・A 40-year-old office worker received a formal inquiry letter about his BitTorrent use last June, only to realize he had uploaded content.
Legal experts say adult video producers are aggressively pursuing these cases for three reasons: huge losses in the industry, the ease of monitoring P2P traffic, and a lower threshold for disclosure requests since a 2022 law change. More than 80% of requests now bypass court orders entirely.
On the criminal side, uploading adult videos violates Article 119 of the Copyright Act, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 2 million yen. Although arrests are rare, some rights holders in 2025 have indicated they may pursue criminal complaints.
The ministry has urged the public to stop using file-sharing software for adult content and switch to legal subscription platforms. Even VPNs cannot hide IP addresses under P2P protocols.
As of December 2, 2025, disclosure requests continue to increase, and officials expect 2026 to set another record.
