As reported earlier this year, music piracy in Japan is now punishable by jail. 

New laws were passed in June which made illegal downloading punishable by jail terms of up to two years, or fines that extended to 2 million yen (£16,000). Unauthorised uploaders can expect to be hit with five times the punishment: up to ten years imprisonment.

This prompted an attack on the website of the government’s finance ministry [via the BBC], with the websites of the Supreme Court, DPJ and LDP political parties, and Japanese Society for Rights of Authors all being taken down. There were also less aggressive public protests.

Regardless, the law officially applies now, and this appears to be a point scored for some of the Japanese music industry’s more outspoken figures, notably Warner Music Japan’s Keiichi Ishizaka, who has claimed in the past that he wants to “exterminate” illegal downloads. So, you know, you might want to watch out.