Japanese firm confirms it sold books to Anthropic

Japanese book wholesaler Nippan Group Holdings has confirmed it sold books to U.S. artificial intelligence firm Anthropic, according to sources familiar with the matter. Nippan Group's subsidiary, Nippan IPS, concluded a deal with Anthropic in November 2024 and sold books to the company between December of that year and last December, the sources revealed.

Before finalizing the deal, Nippan IPS inquired about the purpose of the book purchases. However, Nippan Group stated that the unit was unaware of Anthropic's intention to use the books for AI learning, as per the letter from the company to the Japan Book Publishers Association. Nippan Group has not disclosed the number of books sold or the total purchase amount but agreed to address inquiries from publishers.

The association shared the letter with about 380 member publishers. Anthropic's internal document, disclosed in a U.S. lawsuit, showed the company entered into a deal with "Nippan Japan" as part of Project Panama, which aims to scan books from around the world.