Legal Protection for Voices Imitated by Artificial Intelligence

In a lawsuit filed by renowned voice actor Tsuda Kenjiro, the Tokyo District Court ruled that the human voice can be legally protected under a person's identity elements that carry commercial value. The ruling went on record as the first court decision in Japan to recognize that individuals' voices are subject to protection under this scope.

Details of the Court Ruling

The Tokyo District Court issued its verdict on a lawsuit filed by renowned voice actor Tsuda Kenjiro regarding his request to remove artificial intelligence-generated videos created with a voice he claimed resembled his own. The court ruled that the human voice, much like a portrait, symbolizes a person's character and can be protected under identity elements possessing commercial value.

Basis and Content of the Lawsuit

In the lawsuit file opened in November 2025, it was stated that an unnamed TikTok user shared 188 videos voiced with a voice resembling Tsuda's between July 2024 and September 2025. The analysis conducted stated that strong similarities were detected between Tsuda's voice and the voice generated by artificial intelligence.

Revenue and Defense Claims

It was alleged that the person sharing the videos generated an income ranging between 500,000 and 750,000 yen per month by utilizing Tsuda's voice characteristics. TikTok, meanwhile, defended that a standard male voice was used in the videos and that it would not be confused with Tsuda's voice, while the individual in question claimed that the artificial intelligence was trained using a friend's voice.

Reason for Dismissal of the Request

Although the court ruled that the human voice can be legally protected, it rejected Tsuda's request for the removal of the videos on the grounds that the contents had been deleted after the lawsuit was filed. The artist is previously known for voicing the character Nanami Kento in the anime production titled Jujutsu Kaisen.