The Tokyo District Court has issued the first ruling in Japan recognising the right to one’s own voice, in a case involving voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda. Tsuda, known for roles including Kento Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen, had sued over an anonymous TikTok account that used an AI clone of his voice to narrate over 180 videos on urban legends and paranormal phenomena, attracting more than 200,000 subscribers. Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi said the unauthorised use “with an obvious intention to take advantage of the commercial appeal” of Tsuda’s voice amounted to an infringement of publicity rights. The ruling arrives amid rising concern from Japanese voice actors over AI cloning, echoing recent cases involving Scarlett Johansson and ElevenLabs deals with Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey.
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