Forum - View topicBringing torrented anime to Japan
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clixbrigidxterx
Posts: 6 |
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Is it illegal to bring torrented anime to Japan? I have plans of going to Japan this year, but I have maybe 1 TB of anime from popular anime torrent sites. I am worried that my laptop get checked on Narita airport.
Are there any downloaded media should I worry before going to Japan? And if I get caught, what will they do? |
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AJ (LordNikon)
 Posts: 503 Location: Kyoto |
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Long answer very short... you probably should not.
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5120 |
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Or encrypt the damned drive. (Really, do you even need to bring it with you?) |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7983 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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International copyright law is international, thus your torrents are illegal in any of the countries who agreed to enforce it (which includes Japan). Although, chances of being flagged as high enough security risk for them to arrest you and go through your personal files is extremely low (and in which case you'd have bigger problems than pirated anime), you can further reduce it by not even bringing them with you.
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zaphdash
 Posts: 620 Location: Brooklyn |
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Your laptop is almost certainly not going to be checked (I've traveled extensively to many countries, including some with repressive governments, as well as a couple times to Japan specifically, and have had my laptop checked exactly zero times -- imagine how difficult and time consuming it would be to check every traveler's laptop when they landed), but like nobahn, I also wonder why you need to bring a terabyte of anime with you. I guess I don't really know why you're going to be there but if it's only for vacation, you should probably get out and see the sights instead of watching a bunch of anime on your computer. Japan is an awesome country (and the less anime-related stuff you do while you're there, the better -- there is so much more, and so many better things to do, than hanging out in Akihabara), so enjoy it.
I will say that nobahn's suggestion to encrypt your drive is not likely to get you out of any predicament (that you are extraordinarily unlikely to encounter in the first place). If they want to see what's on your hard drive, they'll demand that you decrypt it, and if you refuse, they will most likely not admit you through customs. I have no idea what would happen to you if they did inspect your hard drive and found a bunch of pirated anime on it. My best guess is that they would not let you through customs until you deleted it -- and that, maybe, they wouldn't let you through customs at all -- but that they probably wouldn't do anything else. I doubt that you will face criminal penalties for merely having possessed it when you crossed the border (not that you couldn't face criminal penalties, but that they would be unlikely to apply them to you). But I don't know all that much about Japan's copyright laws or enforcement practices, so don't take that as gospel. If you're worried about it, don't bring it with you. But also, you really shouldn't be worried about it, nothing is going to happen to you (unless, as Kruszer mentioned, you have otherwise been red flagged for a more intrusive search). |
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kobakun
Posts: 1 |
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No, just don't. I was traveling back to the US from South Africa and I had my laptops and shit searched. I was 11 at the time too. Get an adblocker and watch it on crunchyroll/vrv if you're desperate. Their s no reason to risk it.
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Chickenpotatoes
Posts: 10 |
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Even though this is an old thread, the short answer is that you have nothing to worry at all. Anyone who says otherwise are those who don't know what they are talking about.
The proof of it is that most people right here (except for poster zaphdash) who are attempting to answer you have never really traveled, never been to Japan, or even worse, assume their hometown/US checkpoint procedures has anything to do with the rest of the world, including Japan. There is a lot of difference between border checkpoints, smaller-time transport gating procedures/checkpoints and the world renowned international airports. World renowned internationals are massive business hubs who do extremely high volume, and price themselves on excellence and service. Obviously, you also won't be traveling through these unless you have the money or your flight paid for you. Japan's international airports fall under this category. In other words, nobody is going to bother what is on your laptop. No one has the time for frivolities (unlike lower-class checkpoints or those with far less traffic). Everyone is busy, with established security procedures already in place, and their eye on real security threats (which does not include someone's pirated mp3). A few places, like the US might be a little different. For the United States, it's largely due to their ridiculous attitude towards handling of procedures. This is why America's airports are not even anywhere in the International Top 20, You will be pleased to know that Japan's Haneda International airport are 3rd best in the world. You will have little to worry! P.S: I'm not advocating piracy in any way or shape. I'm just ticked off at the bunches of ignorance by people who are not well-traveled or don't know enough of how airports or systems work (the difference between "my village post" and "business hubs"), and those who seriously think "my country's laws equals to the rest of the world". (Did anyone even read the OP's topic where he asks specifically about Japan and not their hometown?). Last edited by Chickenpotatoes on Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:30 am; edited 1 time in total |
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