Japan arrests 15-year-old student who allegedly used ChatGPT to cancel 46,812 anime subscriptions

Published 8 July 2026 · tech

Japan arrests student over cyber attack Teenager admits cyber skills and use of AI-assisted program Investigation continues into the extent A 15-year-old Japanese student has

Japan arrests student over cyber attack Teenager admits cyber skills and use of AI-assisted program Investigation continues into the extent A 15-year-old Japanese student has been arrested for allegedly launching a cyberattack that disrupted an anime streaming service and caused thousands of users to cancel their subscriptions. Police say the teenager from Saitama Prefecture created a program and used it to interfere with Bandai Channel, a streaming platform operated by Bandai Namco Filmworks. The case has attracted attention due to the student’s age and his claim that he developed the program with assistance from ChatGPT.The teenager was arrested on Saturday over allegations that he carried out an unauthorised attack against Bandai Channel, a service that offers anime content to viewers in Japan.

Reportedly, the investigators revealed that the student allegedly sent manipulated data to the company’s servers on November 4 between around 5 pm and 8:45 pm. The activity reportedly caused 46,812 subscription accounts to be cancelled without users requesting the changes.The disruption affected parts of the company’s operations. Bandai Channel did not immediately return to normal service, with repairs and system recovery work continuing until December.The company later approached police after identifying the incident as a possible cybercrime. Investigators believe the teenager may have found a vulnerability within the streaming service’s systems and used it to gain access to account-related information.Police allege that before the large-scale disruption, the student had also accessed Bandai Channel using login details linked to 15 users.

Authorities believe that account details were obtained through improper means. The student had previously been arrested on June over allegations related to unauthorised access. That case was later put on hold while further investigation continued.During questioning, the student reportedly acknowledged the allegations. He told investigators that he had been interested in computers from a young age and began using them in the fourth grade. He said he had taught himself programming and other computer skills over the years.The teenager also said he had no personal grudge against the company and claimed that he acted after finding he could access the information. Police say the program involved in the incident was created with assistance from ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot.