A Tokyo district court ruled on Wednesday that a human voice is protected under Japan’s publicity rights, following a lawsuit filed by voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda. Tsuda, best known for voicing Kento Nanami in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, claimed that a TikTok account had cloned his “lustrous” baritone voice in 188 AI‑generated videos.
The court dismissed Tsuda’s request for the videos to be removed, noting that the anonymous user deleted the clips shortly after the suit was filed in November. Judge Aya Takahashi said that the unauthorized use of a performer’s voice could be considered an infringement on publicity rights, but the removal order was not granted because the content was no longer available.
This decision marks the first time a Japanese court has recognized the voice as an identifiable element of personal identity that can be protected. Voice actors, many of whom achieve fame through their appearances in anime, have expressed growing concern that AI mimicry threatens their livelihoods. Yuko Sasaki, executive director of the Japan Actors Union, noted that a voice “is the result of years of rigorous training and apprenticeship.”
Judge Takahashi explained that the protection applies when the purpose of using the voice is to exploit its commercial appeal, describing a voice as “symbolic of one’s personality, just as portraits are.”
The TikTok account in question used a profile picture resembling Tsuda’s character and combined images with AI‑generated speech about urban legends, the occult and conspiracy theories. At its peak it had more than 200,000 subscribers and, according to the complaint, could have earned the owner between ¥500,000 and ¥750,000 per month.
TikTok said it would respect the court’s judgment while reviewing the ruling’s details and would continue to work on balancing technological development with rights protection. In 2024, Japanese actors launched a “No More” campaign to oppose the unauthorized use of their faces and voices in AI content.
