Man arrested over sale of counterfeit manga magazine for ¥180,000

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:31 JST, November 10, 2022

KANAZAWA — Police have arrested a 50-year-old man from Tokyo on suspicion of selling an unauthorized reproduction of the weekly comic anthology that contained the first installment of the “Dragon Ball” manga series.

Tsubata Police Station in Ishikawa Prefecture said Wednesday it had arrested Takeshi Katahira on suspicion of infringing the copyright of publisher Shueisha Inc.

According to the police announcement, Katahira allegedly sold a counterfeit copy of Weekly Shonen Jump issue No. 51 — originally published in 1984 — on an internet auction site in April. A man in his 30s from Ishikawa Prefecture bought the item for about ¥180,000.

Katahira claims he thought the magazine was authentic, according to the police. Authentic issues of the magazine are bound with staples, but the counterfeit copy sold through the auction site had a glue binding, the police said.

The contents of the counterfeit magazine were identical to the original issue. It even contained a reproduction of the reader survey postcard that accompanied the original issue.

The police are investigating how he came to be in possession of the reproduction, of which he had listed multiple copies on the auction site.

The issue that carries the first installment of “Dragon Ball” is popular among collectors. The man who unwittingly bought the counterfeit magazine on the auction site already had an authentic issue. He reportedly said he bid on Katahira’s item because he “wanted one in better condition.”

However, the texture of the paper in the copy he received raised his suspicions, so he contacted the police.

On Wednesday, Shueisha posted a message on the Weekly Shonen Jump website to warn fans counterfeit magazines were being sold on internet auction sites.