Chinese authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the operator of one of the biggest manga-manhwa piracy website BATO.TO, following coordinated complaints from Japanese publishers and international anti-piracy organisations.
According to the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), the Shanghai Public Security Bureau searched the residence of a man living in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on November 19, 2025, on suspicion of copyright infringement. The suspect is accused of operating BATO.TO, along with approximately 60 related piracy sites, including xbato.com, bato.to, and mangapark.io.
The individual was detained and questioned by authorities and later released on bail. He has admitted to operating all of the related sites and is expected to be formally indicted in due course. Law enforcement has seized his personal computers and continues to analyze server data, operational structures, and information related to individuals involved in managing, posting, and translating content.
CODA has confirmed that people involved in site operation and content distribution were located across multiple countries. As a result, the investigation is continuing through international cooperation.
Shutdown of 60 Piracy Sites Confirmed
Although the group of sites continued limited operation temporarily after the suspect’s detention for evidence preservation purposes, related parties later announced the shutdown of the services on social media. By January 19, all 60 piracy sites were linked to BATO.TO was confirmed to have ceased operations.
This criminal case was initiated following requests from major Japanese publishers, including KADOKAWA CORPORATION, KODANSHA LTD., SHUEISHA Inc., SHOGAKUKAN Inc., and SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD..
On September 25, 2025, CODA’s Beijing Office filed a criminal complaint with China’s public security bureau on behalf of these publishers. In addition, CODA sought cooperation from China Literature Limited, a Tencent subsidiary and one of China’s largest online literature platforms. China Literature confirmed that its comics had been illegally distributed on BATO.TO and filed a criminal complaint in coordination with CODA.
CODA described this coordinated enforcement effort between Japan and China as a significant milestone for international intellectual property protection.
Scale of the Piracy Operation
BATO.TO was launched in 2014 as a user-submitted piracy platform. Investigations revealed that the suspect played a central operational role from at least 2018 onward. The platform hosted unauthorized manga from Japan, South Korea, and China, translated into more than 50 languages and distributed worldwide.
To evade domestic enforcement, the site employed geoblocking to block access from within China, creating the appearance that no infringement was occurring domestically while attracting massive global traffic. According to the suspect, advertising revenue exceeded 8 million yen (around $51,000) during peak periods.
The operator also ran dozens of similar sites under different domain names. Investigations confirmed the existence of at least 60 such sites. In May 2025 alone, these sites recorded a combined 350 million visits, making BATO.TO the largest manga piracy operation globally.
Over a 37-month period from October 2022 to October 2025, total traffic reached approximately 7.2 billion visits. Based on an estimated access value of 107 yen per manga view, the resulting economic damage is estimated at approximately 770 billion yen (approximately $5.2 billion).
CODA stated that by dispersing traffic across multiple sites, the operator was able to evade crackdowns, blocking measures, and enforcement actions in various countries, allowing large-scale infringement to continue for years.
Origins And Investigation
Concerns regarding BATO.TO were first raised at the Five-Publisher Manga Piracy Countermeasures Meeting held in July 2024. In response, CODA designated the site as a priority target under its Cross-Border Enforcement Project (CBEP).
Working with cybersecurity experts and ethical hackers, CODA conducted open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigations. After identifying the use of Chinese services, CODA collaborated with a Chinese investigative firm to identify the operator, leading to the filing of a criminal complaint with Chinese authorities.
CODA confirmed that more than 1,000 titles from the publishers requesting prosecution were available on BATO.TO.
CODA noted that as Japanese manga and anime have gained global popularity, combined with advances in AI translation technologies, the damage caused by unauthorized translations has intensified, with BATO.TO serve as a major distribution hub.
CODA views this case as a landmark enforcement action that will act as a strong deterrent against scanlation and unauthorized translated manga sites.
Following the shutdown, NTT Solmare Corporation reported that daily sales on its U.S.-focused e-book platform MangaPlaza approximately doubled.
Takero Goto, Representative Director of CODA, commented:
The closure of the world’s largest manga piracy site through criminal enforcement is highly significant for cross-border anti-piracy efforts. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Chinese authorities, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and all others involved who devoted their efforts to this case.
Takero Goto
He further emphasized CODA’s intention to strengthen cooperation with all relevant parties to fully uncover the facts surrounding the case.
The Final Steps
CODA stated that as globalization, digitization, and rapidly advancing AI technologies continue to intensify threats to intellectual property, respecting creative works and accessing them through legitimate channels is essential for cultural development and a sustainable creative future.
The organization confirmed that it will continue strengthening international cooperation to protect Japanese content and promote healthy legal distribution. The investigation was conducted as part of a project commissioned by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
