Tokyo District Court

Stories

Tokyo court rules human voice can be protected under publicity rights in Japan's first AI voice clone case

Delivered the landmark ruling

On September 30, 2026, the Tokyo District Court ruled that a person's voice can be protected under publicity rights, Japan's first such finding. The ruling came in voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda's suit over TikTok videos narrated with an AI imitation of his voice; the court dismissed his removal request because the poster had already deleted the account.

Updated Oct 18

Tokyo court rules ban on under-18s' election campaigning unconstitutional

Rule Changes

As of September 2026: Issued the September 25, 2026 ruling

Japan has barred anyone under 18 from handing out flyers, phone-banking, or posting for candidates since 1952. On September 25, 2026, the Tokyo District Court became the first court to rule that blanket ban unconstitutional.

Updated Sep 25