Administrator of pirate manga site deported to Japan
After almost two months of being detained in the Philippines, a smiling Hoshino Romi, founder and web administrator of an online pirate manga site, is en route to Japan to face his charges.
“Subject is excited to go back to Japan,” Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told The Daily Manila Shimbun in a text message.
Hoshino Romi, 28, arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last July 9, left the Bureau of Immigration’s detention facility around 7:20 am.
He arrived at the same airport around 7:30 am, wearing a blue t-shirt, short and white rubber shoes.
On his shirt, a “manila mura” and http://hoshinoromi.com was written.
Hoshino left the Philippines around 9:43 am on board an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight to Narita. He is expected to arrive around 3:05 pm where he will be brought to Fukuoka around 5:45 pm.
Hoshino was accompanied by around eight officers from the Bureau of Immigration before he was turned over to police officers from Japan.
Reporters tried to ask for few questions but he refused to answer. Upon entering, he did a hand gesture which can be interpreted like he was not allowed to talk.
Despite being mobbed, Hoshino looked amused on what is happening.
According to Sandoval, their operation against Hoshino was “successful”.
Hoshino was detained at BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa and the commissioners decided to deport him on July 18.
In an earlier report, BI said the delay in the deportation of Hoshino was due to the release of his clearance from his countries of origin. Hoshino has Japan, Israel and German as his nationality.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered his inclusion in their blacklist to prevent him from entering the country again.
Morente earlier said the presence of Hoshino was a “risk to public safety and security” of the country as he is a fugitive in the Japan for violating the Copyright Law.
The “Manga-mura” where Hoshino is the founder is a website where manga or comics can be illegally read. This site which operated from January 2016 to April 2018 was the “worst” copyright infringement violation in the history of Japan.
According to the Japanese embassy, Hoshino’s website has an estimated $2.9 billion cost of damage, due to these losses the Japanese government created a task force and launched a manhunt against Hoshino. Ella Dionisio/DMS
