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Tokyo police have arrested a woman for obstructing the business of anime company Shueisha, after she allegedly ordered — then canceled — more than 4.3 billion yen’s worth of Naruto and One Piece merchandise.
As reported by Japanese news outlet Nippon TV News 24 and others, police stated that the 32-year-old restaurant employee had obstructed the business of Shueisha’s Jump Characters Store. The online shop sells merchandise from popular series including Demon Slayer, Bleach and My Hero Academia.
The accused reportedly placed over 2,000 orders on the online storefront using 238 different fake accounts between 2024 and 2025. She then cancelled the orders after they were shipped but without paying. This added up to over 4.3 billion yen’s worth of cancelled purchases (approximately $2.7 million).
According to Sankei Shimbun’s report, these were cash-on-delivery orders — still a common payment option for online stores in Japan. This method allows you to pay nothing when placing an order, then pay the delivery driver when the item arrives at your door.
However, the unnamed woman is accused of cancelling the orders, or leaving them to be sent out and left unclaimed. This reportedly led Shueisha to suffer losses of around 7.5 million yen ($47,500), including shipping costs.
The accused has reportedly admitted to the charges, and said: “I love anime in general, so placing these orders satisfied that desire.” She is also quoted as saying that these anime shopping sprees provided relief from daily stress.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
