As a foreigner in Japan, I have heard that many people utilize something called “bit torrent” to download, sometimes illegally, TV, movies, music, software, and other forms of media from their home countries. This has allowed many in our community to see new movies before they are even out in Japan yet, the lucky dogs. This has traditionally been quite safe in Japan, as existing laws and rules were not strongly enforced, if at all.

That changed recently with the arrest of an unemployed 31 year old Saitama man in Tokyo for uploading TV shows he captured using his computer, and then uploaded to cyberspace using bit torrent software. This news comes with some additional news we were not aware of, that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has a cyber crimes unit. I have to wonder if they have their own Koban, or if it is a virtual police box online…

Be warned my foreign friends and compatriots, that even in Japan, copyright infringement is a crime, and you could be prosecuted!