¥3.2B in Ad Spend on Pirated Video & the BOJ’s VTuber | Weekly Oshi News (Mar 27, 2026)
Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of March 20 to March 26, 2026.
This Week’s Highlights
The defining theme of the week was content creators taking action to protect the flow of fair compensation.
On March 19, the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association (JBA) released an official statement regarding illegal video uploads. In its second survey covering 25 programs produced by five major Tokyo-based commercial broadcasters, the association identified 15,214 illegally uploaded videos on YouTube, which had accumulated approximately 11.1 billion total views. It also found 24,939 unauthorized videos on TikTok. The JBA estimated that roughly 3.2 billion yen in advertising spending had flowed into these pirated videos, describing the figure as just “the tip of the iceberg.”
At the same press conference, JBA Chairman Hiroshi Hayakawa also voiced a strong sense of crisis over the soaring cost of broadcasting rights for major sporting events such as the World Baseball Classic (WBC). This tournament was streamed exclusively by Netflix in Japan, and Chairman Hayakawa explained that during the time slot of the Japan vs. Taiwan game on March 6, overall individual viewer ratings across terrestrial television dropped by 5%.
- 15,214
- Illegally uploaded videos identified on YouTube across 25 surveyed programs
- ~11.1B
- Cumulative views on those unauthorized YouTube uploads
- 24,939
- Illegally uploaded videos identified on TikTok
- ~3.2B Yen
- Estimated advertising spend flowing to pirated uploads (described as the tip of the iceberg)
Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article
Content Creators Move to Protect the Flow of Compensation
Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association — Estimating 3.2 Billion Yen in Ad Spend Flowing to Pirated Videos
On March 19, the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association (JBA) published its “Statement on Illegally Uploaded Content and Advertising.” For its second survey, the organization examined 25 television programs produced by five major Tokyo-based commercial broadcasters, investigating 300 accounts per platform. The survey found 15,214 illegally uploaded videos on YouTube with a cumulative total of roughly 11.1 billion views. In addition, 24,939 unauthorized videos were confirmed on TikTok, 6,921 on Facebook, and 1,412 on X. The JBA estimated the resulting outflow of advertising spending at approximately 3.2 billion yen. There were also documented cases where advertisements from major advertisers across diverse sectors—including human resources services, food, beverages, automobiles, and finance—as well as companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, were displayed alongside illegal content (Minpo Online (in Japanese)).
JBA Chairman Hiroshi Hayakawa stated that the outflow of advertising spending to rights-infringing content is “not merely an issue of reduced revenue for commercial broadcasters, but a problem that affects the sustainability of Japan’s entire content industry.” The JBA explicitly noted in its statement that the 3.2 billion yen figure represents only “the tip of the iceberg.”
The Oshi Lab’s Note: What the figure of 11.1 billion views reveals is a reality in which fans can end up watching programs without ever having to look for official distribution channels. Moreover, advertisers find themselves inadvertently placing ads on pirated content. The responsibility to monitor and understand where one’s own corporate advertisements are being displayed also lies with the advertisers placing the buys. Once again, it has become essential to draw a clear line distinguishing fan-created derivative works from unauthorized reproductions.
Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association — Soaring Broadcasting Rights and Concern Over Free Viewing Access
At the same regular press conference on March 19, Chairman Hiroshi Hayakawa described the skyrocketing cost of broadcasting rights for major international sporting events as a “troubling issue.” Because the latest World Baseball Classic (WBC) was streamed exclusively on Netflix in Japan, Chairman Hayakawa explained that viewership ratings for both public broadcaster NHK and commercial broadcasters declined across all three days during the time slots when Team Japan’s Tokyo Pool games were streamed. Stating that “delivering video footage to viewers free of charge is a vital role of broadcasting that contributes to the development and popularization of sports,” the chairman referred to the UK model of “universal access rights” (listed events regulations that keep major events on free-to-air television). However, he noted that discussions with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Liberal Democratic Party remained informal, and that the association was not yet at the stage of formally requesting specific policy implementation (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
According to the briefing, viewers had sent in comments such as “We want tournaments of high national interest like the WBC to be viewable on terrestrial television as well,” and “Please show consideration for older adults and people who do not use the internet.”
The Oshi Lab’s Note: As we covered in previous issues, Ito En became a global partner for the WBC, and Netflix enlisted Ken Watanabe and others to build excitement around the tournament. At the same time, a segment of the public that cannot watch streaming broadcasts is being left behind. When the entry point for fans shifts toward paid platforms, it becomes much harder to cultivate the next generation of fans. Not just in sports, deciding where to preserve free points of contact is a fundamental question for building a long-term customer base.
Public Institutions and Major Corporations Turn to Characters to Explain Complex Topics
Bank of Japan — Explaining Monetary Policy to Junior High Students with Economics VTuber “MIRAI”
On March 24, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) began streaming an educational video titled Keizai Tantei MIRAI (Economic Detective MIRAI), featuring an economics-focused VTuber named “MIRAI.” Aimed at junior high school students, the video is structured as an introductory guide incorporating quizzes. It was released in two lengths—a full version running 20 minutes and 38 seconds, and a short version running 5 minutes and 22 seconds—with both standard Japanese and Japanese Sign Language versions provided for each. The full version is organized into seven chapters: “Establishment of the Bank of Japan,” “The Issuing Bank That Issues Banknotes,” “The Bank of Banks,” “The Government’s Bank,” “Stabilizing Prices,” “Stabilizing the Financial System,” and “Ending.” The video also touches upon the anti-counterfeiting technology used in the new Bank of Japan banknotes that entered circulation in 2024 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab’s Note: The pairing of a central bank with a VTuber clearly reflects changing times. Monetary policy relies on stiff, technical terminology, and conveying it to junior high school students requires translating those concepts into approachable everyday language. The more difficult the subject matter you want to explain, the more effective a friendly, relatable narrator becomes. Much like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Toseijin” project that we covered in our February 27 issue, the practice of public institutions using character IP to communicate information is steadily taking root.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government — A Free XR Area Preserving the Experience of the Tokyo 2020 Games
On March 27, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government opened an admission-free XR (extended reality) sports area on the second floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1. Its centerpiece attraction is “TOKYO LEGACY XR MEMORIES,” which recreates the sport climbing wall actually used during the Tokyo 2020 Games. Other installations include “Virtual Edo Marathon,” where visitors wear a VR headset to run through the streets of Edo-period Tokyo; “Cyber Boccia,” a multiplayer competitive experience; and “eSkatepark,” where visitors can try out skateboarding tricks. The metropolitan government also announced a stamp rally for visitors aged 18 and under running from March 27 to April 5 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab’s Note: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has recreated actual competition equipment using XR technology and opened it to the public free of charge. In our February 27 issue, we looked at how Mitsui Fudosan placed the value of its sponsorship in “utilizing physical spaces.” Here, a public facility is taking the exact same approach. To the question of what legacy to leave behind after a major tournament ends, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is answering with hands-on experience.
JR East Marketing & Communications x KDDI — Delivering Station Digital Signage Across 41 Audience Segments
JR East Marketing & Communications (jeki) and KDDI have been offering “Targeted Delivery powered by KDDI” since January 2025. The system integrates KDDI’s location data, demographic attributes, and interest data into jeki’s digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising marketplace, “MASTRUM.” As of March 2026, the service offered 41 distinct interest and attribute segments. Its delivery network covered 277 vertical digital signage screens across 20 stations in the Tokyo metropolitan area, along with 184 horizontal digital signage screens across 94 stations. All data is processed into a format that cannot identify specific individuals and is collected with individual consent from au mobile users (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Liu Bin of jeki spoke about the natural affinity between OOH/DOOH advertising and everyday commuters, expressing a desire to turn chance encounters with ads into intentional connections through high-precision data.
The Oshi Lab’s Note: Train station advertisements used to be things people simply happened to catch sight of in passing. This delivery platform makes it possible to use data to serve station ads toward specific demographic and interest groups. For instance, an advertiser can display targeted ads at the station nearest an event venue aimed specifically at the audience profile attending that day. The very transit routes that fans travel along become targeted ad inventory—a mechanism that looks like a natural fit for oshikatsu involving concert travel and expeditions.
Long-Established Brands and Everyday Staples Test New Ways of Selling Through IP
Nissin Food Products x Yu-Gi-Oh! — Summoning the “Instant Fusion” Spell Card into Reality
At noon on March 18, Nissin Food Products opened pre-orders exclusively on the Nissin Food Group Online Store for the “Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Cup Noodle Instant Fusion 20-Pack Limited Set with Collaboration Card.” Purchases were limited to four sets per person, and each set includes one physical playable copy of the Spell Card “Instant Fusion” (Kan’i Yugo), which features cup noodles as its artwork motif. The outer package illustration was newly drawn by KONAMI, and even the shipping cardboard box features a Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game (OCG) design, engineered with a special mechanism so that the Cup Noodle “Instant Fusion” appears to emerge directly from the card (4Gamer.net (in Japanese)).
Akiko Ishihara of Nissin Food Products explained, “We felt that if we released the cup-noodle-themed Spell Card ‘Instant Fusion’ from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series as a real, edible product, we could offer fans both surprise and delight.” To mark the 25th anniversary of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series in 2025 and the 55th anniversary of Cup Noodle in 2026, Nissin reportedly reached out to propose the collaboration.
The Oshi Lab’s Note: Nissin Food Products took the cup noodles depicted on an in-game trading card and released them as an actual food product in the real world—going so far as to style the shipping cardboard box after a card. It is a product design that folds the very moment of unboxing into the fan experience. This follows the exact same structural approach as the Tirol Choco collaboration we covered in our March 13 issue. Companies that understand how their own products are treated within fan culture are able to arrive at projects like this.
BAKE’s “RINGO” x Hello Kitty — Rolling Out a 10th Anniversary in Three Stages
“RINGO,” the specialty freshly baked custard apple pie shop operated by BAKE, celebrated its 10th anniversary in March 2026. The anniversary campaign was structured in three stages. On March 1, the brand brought back a popular limited flavor, “Freshly Baked Rich Apple Pie with 3 Kinds of Cheese & Honey.” It announced that a collaboration with Hello Kitty would launch on April 1, followed by special anniversary merchandise in May. The Hello Kitty collaboration lineup comprises four items in total: a cooler bag set, a pouch set, a mini plate set (releasing on April 22), and a financier tin (ORICON NEWS (in Japanese)).
The special campaign website noted: “Welcoming Hello Kitty—who loves the apple pie her mama makes—a special collaboration begins to celebrate RINGO’s 10th anniversary.”
The Oshi Lab’s Note: RINGO built an organic, undeniable reason for this collaboration out of a single canonical detail in Hello Kitty’s official profile: her favorite food is the apple pie her mother bakes. When licensing a character, being able to explain why that specific pairing exists changes how persuasive the campaign feels to fans. It is a connection that only companies willing to thoroughly research a character’s lore can uncover.
Gong cha — Creating a Culture Where “Let’s Get Tea” Actually Means Tea
Starting March 25, Gong cha Japan launched a new nationwide series called “TEACRAFT.” Built around the concept of “Heart-fluttering, fragrant tea,” the first installment is a limited-time “Strawberry & Rose Darjeeling.” The lineup offers four tea styles: straight tea, milk tea, almond milk tea, and the newly introduced “Milfo Tea” topped with milk foam (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
President and CEO Jun Tsunoda observed that “currently, when people hear the phrase ‘Ocha shiyo?’ (‘Shall we get tea?’), many of them picture getting coffee,” and stated, “Our goal is not a passing fad, but establishing a lasting culture where saying ‘Let’s get tea’ means actually going out to drink tea.”
The Oshi Lab’s Note: Before trying to sell an individual product, Gong cha is attempting to rewrite the everyday meaning of a phrase. This mirrors the approach we highlighted in our February 20 issue, where Workman laid out a strategy of concentrating investment into five core product lines. In both cases, the company is using clear language to define its position in the market. Having the resolve not to let a brand end as a temporary boom allows a business to plan initiatives over a much longer horizon.
Apparel and Lifestyle Goods Split IP Pricing Toward Opposite Ends of the Spectrum
Everyday Mass-Market Entry (¥1,990)High-End Collector Art (¥132,000)
- Uniqlo UT x Blue Lock Graphic T-Shirt (¥1,990)Newly drawn manga illustrations by Yusuke Nomura for mass retail
- Lycoris Recoil x TOYO Steel Toolbox DA (¥5,280)Functional lockable steel storage box modeled on in-world DA agency gear
- Haikyu!! x Coleman Pop-Up Shop Outdoor Gear (¥6,380–¥9,900)Karasuno High School Lumiere Lantern (¥6,380) and Walker 25 backpack (¥9,900)
- CLAMP x CONVERSE TOKYO Coach Jacket & Signed Art (¥30,800–¥132,000)Coach jackets (¥30,800) and made-to-order silkscreen art signed by KOSUKE KAWAMURA or YUTA OKUDA, depending on the artwork (¥110,000 and ¥132,000)
Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article
Uniqlo UT x Blue Lock, and CLAMP x CONVERSE TOKYO
In late May 2026, Uniqlo released its first collaborative “UT” graphic T-shirt collection with Blue Lock, priced at 1,990 yen (tax included). The T-shirts feature newly drawn illustrations by the manga’s illustrator, Yusuke Nomura, placing characters Isagi, Bachira, Chigiri, Nagi, and Rin across the front. The manga series has surpassed 50 million copies in circulation, and its live-action film adaptation opened in theaters on August 7, 2026 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, the third collaboration between legendary creator group CLAMP and CONVERSE TOKYO featured motifs from Tokyo Babylon and X. Coach jackets were priced at 30,800 yen each, while silkscreen artworks were priced at 110,000 yen and 132,000 yen (all tax included). The artworks were sold on a made-to-order basis complete with hand-signed autographs from KOSUKE KAWAMURA or YUTA OKUDA, depending on the artwork (PR TIMES (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab’s Note: On one side is a 1,990-yen T-shirt; on the other is a 132,000-yen piece of fine art. In the exact same week, IP merchandise arrived on the market with a 66-fold difference in price. If you start from the premise that fan spending spans a wide range, both approaches are right. In our February 6 issue, we touched upon a market trend in which “spending per person is decreasing while the overall fan population is growing.” In that kind of market, companies that offer price points at both ends of the spectrum avoid leaving customers behind.
Lycoris Recoil x TOYO, Haikyu!! x Coleman, and Yu-Gi-Oh! x graniph
The anime Lycoris Recoil announced a collaboration with long-established toolbox manufacturer TOYO to release the “Toolbox DA” for 5,280 yen (tax included). Modeled after standard-issue equipment from the secret organization DA in the series, it is a steel box compatible with a 4mm cylinder lock. Advance sales were announced for AnimeJapan 2026 on March 28 and 29 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, Haikyu!! announced that it would hold a collaborative pop-up shop with outdoor brand Coleman titled “Training Camp Barbecue!!” across four cities. Items announced for sale at the venues include the Walker 25 backpack for 9,900 yen and the Lumiere Lantern (Karasuno High School edition) for 6,380 yen, both tax included (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)). Additionally, apparel brand graniph began in-store sales on March 24 for a 20-item collaboration lineup with Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab’s Note: TOYO’s steel toolbox is a prime example of translating an in-story setting into a practical everyday item. A sturdy metal box that can be locked is genuinely useful for fans who want to protect their cherished merchandise. When a work’s fictional lore aligns with a product’s real-world function, fans buy it to use rather than merely to display. This reflects the exact same thinking behind the Captain Stag x Laid-Back Camp (Yuru Camp) collaboration we covered in our January 2 issue.
ViXion2 — Autofocus Eyewear Arrives at Major Electronics Retailers
ViXion released its autofocus eyewear device, “ViXion2,” on April 17, 2026, priced at 100,000 yen (excluding tax). The eyewear automatically adjusts focus across distances ranging from 5 centimeters to infinity. Its lens diameter has been expanded to 9 millimeters, increasing the field-of-view area to roughly 2.4 times that of the previous model. The main unit weighs approximately 40 grams without the outer frame. Charging for about 3 hours via USB Type-C provides up to roughly 15 hours of continuous use. The device was made available for hands-on testing and purchase at 21 Bic Camera stores and 22 Yodobashi Camera stores (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab’s Note: Just like the Even G2 smart glasses we covered in our February 20 issue, we are seeing a clear trend of eyewear devices priced around 100,000 yen lining the shelves of major consumer electronics retailers. Because the device handles focus adjustment mechanically, it has practical utility in situations where fans on concert trips are constantly switching back and forth between binoculars and their smartphones. The range of tools available for fans to use inside event venues has expanded unmistakably over the past year.
Editorial Reflections on the Week
This week’s news confronted head-on the reality that the mechanisms ensuring content creators receive fair compensation are increasingly at risk.
The 11.1 billion views and estimated 3.2 billion yen in leaked ad spend reported by the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association demonstrate that unauthorized reproduction has already become routine. At the same time, skyrocketing broadcasting rights have tilted legitimate viewing channels toward paid subscriptions, reducing opportunities for people to watch for free. These two developments are two sides of the exact same coin. Reduced access through official channels could increase demand for unauthorized copies.
On the other hand, as seen in Nissin Food Products and Yu-Gi-Oh!, or RINGO and Hello Kitty, products crafted through proper partnerships between legitimate rights holders carried unmistakable value. Fans pay close attention to who made a product and how.
Where, and through whose hands, is your company’s content circulating? We encourage you to look at this week’s developments alongside our guides on Derivative Works (Nijisousaku) and Design Principles of Oshikatsu Marketing.
Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of oshikatsu and business developments. You can browse past issues in our Oshikatsu x News category.
