Tokyo Police Arrest Anime Fan for Massive Merchandise Order Cancellations

Tokyo police arrested 32‑year‑old Osaka restaurant employee Mayu Yoshida on suspicion of obstructing the business of manga publisher Shueisha. Between July 2024 and May 2025 she placed more than 2,000 orders on Shueisha’s online Jump Characters Store, using 238 separate accounts. The orders, covering popular series such as One Piece and Naruto, were valued at roughly 4.3 billion yen (about US$27 million). Yoshida repeatedly cancelled the purchases by either failing to pay at convenience‑store prepayment points or refusing cash‑on‑delivery shipments, causing Shueisha to incur about 7.5 million yen in shipping and handling costs and to block genuine customers from buying the items. In police questioning she said the repeated ordering gave her a sense of satisfaction and helped relieve daily stress. Shueisha described the conduct as a serious obstruction of fair purchase opportunities and requested strict legal action.