●Website Policies－Copyright Policy

Japanese

All articles, photographs and other content of The Yomiuri Shimbun’s publications, such as The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and The Japan News newspaper, and The Japan News website, are copyrighted works of The Yomiuri Shimbun and are protected by Japan’s Copyright Law, international treaties and others. As a general rule, the articles, photographs, graphics and other elements of The Japan News newspaper or website may not be used by copying, reprinting, transmitting via internet or any other means without the prior permission of The Yomiuri Shimbun, which is the copyright holder. The Yomiuri Shimbun’s websites may display information about the company’s copyrights or conditions to use the materials, and we ask you follow the conditions and others. When using the articles, photographs and other content, application procedures and payment of usage fees are required, with some exceptions. If a third party owns the copyright or other rights, permission of the third party may be required. If you wish to use the content, please visit the “Application for Use of Articles, Photographs and Videos(https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/policy/application/)” page.

In certain cases, copyrighted materials may be used without permission:

The materials are copied by a user for the purpose of their personal use only at home.

The materials are used for teaching materials or exams edited or made in schools such as elementary, junior high, high schools or universities, excluding cram schools.

Notices, terms of use or other information about links and copyright are subject to change at any time. Please note that the changed notices and the terms will apply after the change. The URLs of The Yomiuri Shimbun’s web pages may be changed or deleted for editorial or other reasons. Notification of such changes will not be provided to those who have linked to The Yomiuri Shimbun’s sites. Please be aware of this.

Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. Users may not download or reproduce a substantial portion of the AP material found on this website. AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

※“The Yomiuri Shimbun” refers to The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, The Yomiuri Shimbun, The Yomiuri Shimbun Osaka and The Yomiuri Shimbun Seibu.

Q1: Are Japan News articles and photos copyrighted materials?

A1: Yes. They are copyrighted materials subject to copyright protection.

The Copyright Law in Japan defines a relevant work as “a creatively produced expression of thoughts or sentiments” (Article 2 of the Copyright Law). The term “creatively” refers to the creator’s ingenuity and originality, and “expression” includes not only written (verbal) works such as articles, but also photographs, movies, illustrations, paintings, animations, databases, musical compositions, musical performances, dance choreographies and others. Articles and photographs in The Japan News are written by Yomiuri Shimbun writers or taken by Yomiuri Shimbun photographers, with the exception of some contributed articles by individuals, news service agencies and specially commissioned foreign newspapers and magazines. Japan News articles are prepared by selecting information and facts through coverage and interviews, making news judgments, and devising sentences to convey information in an easy-to-understand manner. Photographs are taken by photographers who are also very careful about camera angles and shutter release opportunities to capture powerful scenes and vivid facial expressions. Newspaper articles and photographs are copyrighted because they are the result of such creative efforts.

The Copyright Law also recognizes an “editorial copyright.” Editorial copyright is a right that is established separately from copyrights on individual works, and arises when creativity is recognized in the composition of a page, the selection of articles to be published, the arrangement of articles and others. In general, newspaper pages are subject to editorial copyright.

Q2. Does the copyright of each Japan News article or photo belong to the staff writer or photographer concerned?

A2. No. The Yomiuri Shimbun owns the copyright. Copyrights to articles and photographs in The Japan News do not belong to the individual staff writer or photographer who wrote the articles or took the photographs, but to The Yomiuri Shimbun. Article 15 of the Copyright Law stipulates that the copyright of a work created by an employee of a company or other employer in the course of his/her duties generally belongs to the company, unless there is a special contract with the staff writer or photographer. This is called “work for hire” or “work made for hire.” Therefore, if you wish to use an article or photograph, you must obtain permission from The Yomiuri Shimbun, not the individual staff member.

Q3. Is the content of The Japan News website subject to copyright protection?

A3. Yes. Content on the website is copyrighted.

The news and various content of The Japan News website, as well as articles and photographs published in the print edition of The Japan News, are copyrighted works subject to the protection of the Copyright Law. As a general rule, they may not be copied, reprinted, transmitted over the Internet, or used in any other way without the permission of the copyright holder, The Yomiuri Shimbun. If you wish to use any articles, photos, or videos, please read “Application for use of articles, photos and videos(https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/policy/application/).”

Q4. Can I reprint articles or photographs of The Japan News website on my own website?

A4. Reprinting requires a prior application for use to The Yomiuri Shimbun, and unauthorized reprinting is an infringement of its copyright.

The copyright of The Japan News website’s contents belongs to The Yomiuri Shimbun. Reprinting Japan News website content on your website and disseminating it externally, even if it is your personal website, is the same as publishing a book you have written by yourself or a magazine you have edited by yourself. It is true that making a newspaper scrapbook by yourself for personal use, for example, constitutes “personal use of a copyrighted work,” and can be done without the permission of the copyright holder as an exceptional case. However, reprinting content on your website, which can be viewed by an unspecified number of people, does not constitute private use, even if you are not making the website for profit but for your own personal enjoyment. Collecting newspaper articles or photos on your website is unauthorized use of the content and an infringement of the copyright. Furthermore, if you alter or crop the photos when reprinting them, you may also be violating the right to integrity (one of the rights known as moral rights).

Q5. Can I create a link to any articles on The Japan News website from another website?

A5. Linking to sites operated by The Yomiuri Shimbun is, in principle, free, although there is a risk of infringement of Yomiuri Shimbun’s rights depending on the method of linking.

If headlines, articles, photographs, illustrations and others appearing on The Japan News website are embedded in your website to display them or are displayed in such a way that they could be mistaken for part of your website, there is a risk of infringement of the right of adaptation, right to integrity, right to determine the indication of an author’s name, and others.

In addition, linking to an article with its headline displayed as is may constitute unauthorized use of the headline. Furthermore, as elections approach, candidates often link to political articles from their websites. However, if a specific article is selected and linked to, it may be perceived as if it is an assertion by The Yomiuri Shimbun, which may lead to the misunderstanding that The Yomiuri Shimbun is supporting the candidate. We believe that this may violate the neutrality of The Yomiuri Shimbun, and we refuse to allow you to do so. For more information, please see our Link Policy(https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/linking-policy/).

Q6. Do you have any advice concerning copyright protection in the Internet age?

A6. It is important to recognize that copyrighted works are valuable property, and to comply with the terms and conditions for their use.

Copyright issues are often disregarded, since much of the information on the Internet is free to view. Even if some sites are free to view, they have much copyrighted content and you need to be careful if using them.

Among link-free sites, some impose conditions on the use of their content or prohibit its commercial use. Recently, an increasing number of individual sites have placed a copyright mark on their sites prohibiting unauthorized reprinting or duplication of their content.

In addition, many corporate websites clearly state the terms and conditions of use under headings such as “Terms and Conditions of Use,” “About Copyright,” “Copyright Notice,” “Legal Notice” and others, so it is necessary to read such information carefully. For The Yomiuri Shimbun’s terms and conditions of use, please read “Application for Use of Articles, Photographs, and Videos.(https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/policy/application/)”

Revised on August 31, 2022