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BATO.TO and a network of about 60 related manga piracy sites were confirmed closed by January 19, 2026, according to Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA). The case involved Japanese publishers’ complaint, CODA’s work with Chinese authorities, cooperation from China Literature Limited, and a search by Chinese police. CODA’s January 29 account said the alleged operator had been released on bail while the investigation continued—not that he had been convicted.
What happened to Bato.to?
BATO.TO was one part of a network of sites distributing manga without authorization. CODA said it had confirmed at least 60 related sites, including xbato.com, bato.to, and mangapark.io, and that all 60 were closed by January 19, 2026. CODA described the network as the world’s largest manga piracy operation, a characterization based in part on traffic figures it cited from SimilarWeb.
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The case was not simply a website being switched off. It combined a criminal complaint filed in China, cross-border cooperation, a police search of the alleged operator’s home, and an investigation into the network and its participants. CODA’s account was published January 29, 2026: CODA’s case update.
How did the China–Japan operation work?
Five Japanese publishers—KADOKAWA, KODANSHA, SHUEISHA, SHOGAKUKAN, and SQUARE ENIX—requested action. On September 25, 2025, CODA’s Beijing Office filed a criminal complaint with Chinese public security authorities on their behalf. CODA also sought cooperation from China Literature Limited, which confirmed that its comics had been distributed without authorization and filed a coordinated complaint.
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On November 19, 2025, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau searched the residence of a man living in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on suspicion of copyright infringement. Chinese officers detained and questioned him, and seized personal computers. The search was conducted by Chinese police; CODA’s account does not say Japanese police carried it out.
CODA said the suspect later admitted to operating the sites and was released on bail. Authorities were examining server data and investigating the site network and other participants. CODA said a formal indictment was expected, but its published case update does not establish whether an indictment or trial later occurred.
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What is known about the alleged operator’s legal status?
As of CODA’s January 29, 2026 account, the suspect had been detained, questioned, and released on bail while the investigation remained ongoing. An expected indictment is not the same as an indictment, and neither a police search nor an admission reported by CODA establishes a conviction. The available case update gives no later court disposition.
How large was the piracy network?
The figures describe different measures and should not be treated as interchangeable. CODA attributed the May 2025 monthly traffic estimate to SimilarWeb; its longer-period traffic and economic-impact figures are CODA’s own reported estimates.
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| Measure | Reported figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Related sites | At least 60, confirmed closed by January 19, 2026 (CODA, 2026) | The network, not just the BATO.TO domain. |
| Monthly visits | 350 million in May 2025 (SimilarWeb, as cited by CODA, 2026) | Combined visits across the network for one month, not a count of unique readers. |
| Visits over time | Approximately 7.2 billion from October 2022 through October 2025 (CODA, 2026) | A cumulative network figure across 37 months. |
| Estimated economic impact | Approximately ¥770 billion (CODA, 2026) | A modelled estimate, not a court award or independently verified loss. CODA applied an estimated ¥107 value per manga view based on estimates from the FY2025 Content Overseas Expansion Promotion Project survey. |
| Content and reach | More than 1,000 titles from the five publishers’ works; translations in more than 50 languages (CODA, 2026) | Figures reported by CODA about the material available on the platform. |
| Peak-month advertising income | More than RMB 400,000, approximately ¥8 million (suspect’s statements reported by CODA, 2026) | Not described by CODA as an independently audited revenue figure. |
CODA said the sites used multiple domain names to disperse traffic, which it assessed could help evade enforcement and blocking in different countries. It also said access was geoblocked from China. These are CODA’s descriptions and assessment, rather than findings from a technical audit presented in its case update.
How did the network operate?
CODA said BATO.TO began in 2014 as a user-submitted piracy site and that the suspect played a central role from at least 2018. The network included unauthorized translations often produced through “scanlation”: scanning manga, removing the original text, adding translated text, and distributing the result online.
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CODA said it designated BATO.TO for its Cross-Border Enforcement Project in July 2024, after concerns were raised by the Five-Publisher Manga Piracy Countermeasures Meeting. Its work included open-source intelligence investigations with cybersecurity experts, including ethical hackers. After identifying the use of Chinese services, CODA said it worked with a Chinese investigative firm. It also reported finding participants in multiple countries involved in operating sites, posting material, and translating through related social channels.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did legal manga sales rise after the closure?
NTT Solmare told CODA that daily sales at its MangaPlaza service roughly doubled immediately after the sites closed. That is a reported change in timing, not proof that the closure alone caused the increase. CODA’s account does not provide a longer-term sales series or a controlled analysis of other factors.
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What is the significance of the case?
The case shows how action against a piracy network can involve more than a single domain: publishers’ complaint, a rights organization’s cross-border work, cooperation from a Chinese comics company, and police action in China. CODA’s representative director, Takero Goto, called the closure significant for cross-border anti-piracy enforcement and thanked Chinese authorities, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and others involved.
For readers, the practical distinction is between the closure of the reported network and the still-unresolved legal case described in CODA’s update. The update confirms the site closures and reports an ongoing investigation; it does not establish a later prosecution outcome.
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