Operators of the now-closed pirate site Manga-Mura, formerly one of the largest illegal Japanese comics-viewing websites and host of popular manga such as "One Piece," used multiple bank accounts overseas to conceal the flow of money, investigative sources said Wednesday.
Police believe 27-year-old Romi Hoshino, who was arrested Tuesday after having been listed on an international wanted list on suspicion of copyright infringement, earned huge advertising revenues by running the site and used the accounts to pay rewards to other operators, they said.
Three other people have been indicted over the operation of Manga-Mura, which is believed to have cost the manga industry over ¥300 billion ($2.8 billion) in losses before its closure in April last year.