Steps will be taken to make it illegal to download without the permission of copyright holders all works including manga, computer games, books and other writings after a government panel adopted the policy Wednesday.

In a report to the Cultural Affairs Agency, the panel called for broadening the scope of illegal downloads, currently restricted to videos and music, to all copyrighted materials. However, to what extent the actions will be punished was left open for future discussions, as concerns grew over restraints on internet users.

The report also proposed punishing operators of "leech sites" that list hyperlinks to piracy websites.