Copyright term for books: Japan
In Japan, according to Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs: the author's lifetime and 70 years after death. As of 2026-09-25.
Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs states that copyright lasts through the author's lifetime and to the end of the 70-year period following the author's death.
Anonymous works and works attributed to an organisation are counted from when they were made public instead.
The agency publishes English summaries of the system; the Japanese statute is the text that governs.
1In the official wording
The copyright continues to subsist during the author's survival period and the end of the 70-year period following the death of the author.
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan, Overview of the Copyright System
- Term of protectionThe author's lifetime and 70 years after death
- Overview read; no separate expiry wordingNot stated on the page read (2026-09-25)
2From book to screen, one tool's way
Once the rights in “Japan” are settled, SceneMixer describes the adaptation itself like this:
SceneMixer separates the script language from the production language: the output (episode outlines, storyboards, on-screen text) follows your interface language, and target-region localization adapts character names, casting, and scenery for Western, East Asian, Southeast Asian, or Latin American audiences.
SceneMixer, Turn a Novel into a Video Series with AI — “Can I turn a Chinese web novel into an English-language drama?” (read 2026-10-13)
The spoken lines and the end card follow your interface language across fifteen dialogue languages, with the cast and setting adapted to that market. The end card falls back to a language it can typeset when a script needs shaping or right-to-left layout.
SceneMixer, AI Ad Video Generator — “Which languages can the ad be in?” (read 2026-10-13)
3Next to the other jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | Term | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Life of the author plus 70 years for works created from 1978 | Every work published in the United States before January 1, 1931 is in the public domain |
| United Kingdom | 70 years after the author's death for written works | Once copyright has expired, anyone can use or copy the work |
| European Union | Life of the author and 70 years after death, across the member states | Not stated on the page read |
| Canada | Life of the author, the rest of that calendar year, then 70 years | The 70 years run from the end of the calendar year of death |
| Japan | The author's lifetime and 70 years after death | Not stated on the page read |
| Australia | 70 years after the death of the author for works | Expired material falls into the public domain and may be used without permission |
Inclusion rule. Jurisdictions whose official pages were read. Order. The order they are listed in on this site.
Every one of the six reads 70 years after the author's death for an ordinary book, but the details differ: where the count starts, how older works are handled, and which works count from publication instead of death.
4Other jurisdictions
Then check the text you use: public-domain libraries; and the tool you upload it to: AI tool terms.