The Japanese government has officially warned OpenAI over potential copyright infringement tied to its new video generation model, Sora 2, after a wave of AI-generated clips resembling popular anime began spreading across social media.
As reported by ITmedia, Minister of State for Intellectual Property Strategy Minoru Kiuchi confirmed at a press conference on October 10 that the government has requested OpenAI “not to engage in actions that could constitute copyright infringement.”
The warning, delivered by the Cabinet Office’s Intellectual Property Strategy Promotion Secretariat, follows mounting criticism that Sora 2 outputs mimic the style and imagery of well-known anime and manga.
“Anime and manga are irreplaceable treasures that we can be proud of around the world,” Kiuchi said, emphasizing the need to protect Japan’s cultural assets as AI tools rapidly evolve.
Japanese gov warns OpenAI over anime copyright
The backlash began shortly after Sora 2 launched on September 30. The model’s advanced text-to-video capabilities quickly went viral for producing short, anime-style videos that closely mirrored works such as Dragon Ball and Demon Slayer.
While users shared and praised the clips for their visual style, lawmakers and creators expressed alarm over potential violations of Japan’s copyright laws.
On October 2, Liberal Democratic Party Deputy Secretary-General Akihisa Shiozaki called the issue a “serious legal and political problem.” He later suggested that if the situation continues, the government could invoke Article 16 of Japan’s new AI Promotion Act to demand disclosure of Sora 2’s specifications, filtering methods, and moderation processes.
According to the official transcript, Digital Minister Masaaki Taira also addressed the controversy during an October 7 press conference:
“I believe OpenAI needs to adjust or tweak the Sora2 generation AI to comply with Japanese regulations,” he said, urging major tech firms to take voluntary action to comply with domestic standards.
Japan’s warning underscores growing international pressure on AI developers to respect creative rights, particularly in industries like anime and gaming, where visual styles are deeply tied to national identity. Officials have indicated that if improvements are not made, further measures could be considered.
