Two people have been arrested for allegedly using the Internet to illegally distribute Japanese TV programs overseas, police said Friday.
Kazuma Moriya, 40, who headed Thailand-based J Network Service International, and employee Haruka Nakagawa, 32, allegedly allowed people to view Fuji Television Network Inc.'s program "Gokigenyo" in February by storing it on servers in Chiba and Osaka prefectures, police said.
The company targeted Japanese living abroad and had about 5,000 customers in about 50 countries. It showed TV programs that were originally aired on 21 channels in Japan, the police said.
The company charged customers a basic fee of ¥5,000 a month, generating sales of ¥270 million since started business in December 2006, police said.
It is the first time someone has been arrested in Japan for running such a service.