Multiple major One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen leakers have been shut down following the arrests of two individuals suspected of violating copyright law regarding the illegal distribution of Weekly Shonen Jump.
Asahi reports that police stationed in Kumamoto — One Piece author Eiichiro Oda’s hometown — arrested two foreign citizens suspected of infringing on Weekly Shonen Jump’s copyright. They are accused of posting the latest chapters of a Weekly Shonen Jump manga in both January and March 2023 before the magazine’s release date.
Both suspects accepted the first charge and denied the second. Items seized from the individuals, including phones and magazines, were displayed by the Kumamoto Prefectural Police and can be viewed below. The evidence contained images from the popular manga leaker OPScans, leading many to believe that among the arrested were operators behind the site. The OPScans website has since shut down and remains so as of Feb. 5, 2024.
Next day, weekly Shonen Jump publishers Shueisha released a statement regarding the arrests (via Oricon). It stated that it views leaking as extremely problematic, directly harming the writers as well as young fans who have stories spoiled unfairly. Fellow publisher Kodansha also revealed that it is cooperating with this investigation.
It added on its website:
“We recognize that the arrest of the suspect this time is an important step toward resolving this extremely malicious problem. In order to prevent the spread and spread of piracy damage, we, Kodansha, will continue to cooperate with investigative efforts and proactively take measures against pirated copies.”
The arrests have sent a wave through the leaking community, with many shutting down their websites, X accounts and Discords to prevent such leaks. Alongside OPScans are other popular leakers and sites such as Scanpiea and starzunion.com.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
