Key facts
- A Tokyo court ruled that human voices are protected under publicity rights.
- The court dismissed voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda's request to remove AI-generated TikTok videos.
- Tsuda claimed an anonymous TikTok account used an AI voice that cloned his distinctive baritone.
- The anonymous account allegedly earned 500,000 to 750,000 yen monthly from the videos.
- The court noted the videos were deleted soon after the suit was filed.
A Tokyo court ruled Wednesday that human voices are protected under publicity rights, similar to portrait rights, in the first such ruling in Japan. The Tokyo District Court dismissed a demand by plaintiff Kenjiro Tsuda, a voice actor known for voicing Kento Nanami in "Jujutsu Kaisen," for the operator of TikTok to remove videos narrated using artificial intelligence with a voice he claimed was similar to his own.
Japan currently lacks clear laws on voice rights, but the Justice Ministry has recently released guidelines suggesting that uploading social media videos with voices resembling real people for revenue may constitute a rights violation. Tsuda's lawsuit stated that an anonymous user uploaded 188 videos between July 2024 and September 2025, featuring narration similar to his voice, which he argued misled viewers and increased commercial value. The poster allegedly earned between 500,000 and 750,000 yen ($3,200 to $4,800) per month from these videos.
The operator of TikTok contended that the narration used a "standard male voice" and would not be mistaken for Tsuda. The court noted that the user had deleted the videos soon after the suit was filed last November, which influenced the dismissal of Tsuda's request for removal.