Police Arrest Anime Fan For Flooding Shueisha’s Store With Orders Worth Billions & Cancelling

A woman has been arrested in Japan after placing billions of yen worth of orders for anime merchandise through Shueisha’s online store and repeatedly canceling them, disrupting the publisher’s business operations over the course of nearly a year.

The suspect, identified by police as Mayu Yoshida, a 32-year-old restaurant employee from Osaka, was arrested on Aug 4, 2026 on suspicion of fraudulent obstruction of business.

According to the Kanda Police Station, Yoshida placed large orders for merchandise from franchises including One Piece and Naruto through Shueisha’s official Jump Characters Store between July 2024 and May 2025, then repeatedly canceled the purchases by refusing to accept delivery.

Yoshida used 238 separate accounts to place orders through the online store.

During questioning, Yoshida admitted to the allegations and said that she is an anime fan. The stress from her daily life had built up over time and placing these orders gave her “a sense of satisfaction” and left her feeling “refreshed.”

The publisher estimates the total value of the canceled merchandise reached approximately 4.3 billion yen (about US$29 million). The suspect confirmed to have placed more than 2,000 orders in total.