Tokyo police arrested two men from western Japan on Monday on suspicion of copyright infringement in connection with the circulation of prints of Japanese-style artworks by late master nihonga painters including Ikuo Hirayama.
Former art dealer Yuzo Kato, 53, and print studio manager Masashi Kitabata, 67, are suspected of conspiring to produce prints of works by famous traditional Japanese-style painters without permission from their families, thus violating the copyrights they hold, investigative sources said.
Authorized prints must be made from blocks produced by craftspeople with permission from the copyright holder.