File Sharing Hits All-Time High in Japan

The results of a recent poll organized by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, the Japan and International Motion Picture Copyright Association, and the Association of Copyright for Computer Software reveal that the number of Japanese residents using file-sharing internet software has tripled since June 2006, reaching an all-time high. “As of September this year 9.6 per cent of internet users in Japan were using file-sharing software compared with just 3.5 per cent in June 2006, while the average number of files downloaded stood at 481 in September against 194 in the middle of last year, the survey said.”

Digital World Tokyo hosts specific statistics for Japanese file-sharing in 2006. Macworld hosts the 2007 statistics.