A Japanese industry group says 22 people have been exposed for operating foreign-based piracy sites of Japanese anime and manga in the past three years.

The Content Overseas Distribution Association, or CODA, says Chinese authorities have taken action against 18 people for running piracy sites. Thirteen of them were arrested by a public security bureau in Jiangsu Province from January through June.

Four people were exposed in an anti-piracy operation in Brazil, resulting in the closure of 36 piracy websites.

CODA says that as Japanese anime and manga are gaining popularity around the world, an increasing number of overseas operators are posting works translated into foreign languages on their websites without permission for profit.

In its survey in 2022, the estimated financial loss from such websites was approximately 1.9 to 2.2 trillion yen, or about 12 to 14 billion dollars.

CODA says similar losses have been confirmed in France and other European nations in recent years. It says it will work closely with foreign authorities and take strict action.