Japan sees surge in vertical short drama subscription complaints

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Complaints about vertical short dramas, brief episodes designed for mobile viewing, surged across Japan in the past year to September 2026, according to a Kyodo News survey released on Saturday. The survey, which gathered data from consumer affairs centers in all 47 prefectures and 20 local governments, recorded over 200 complaints nationwide. Thirty of these centers noted an increase in inquiries compared to the period from October 2024 to September 2025.

The majority of centers, 46, reported receiving complaints linked to difficulties in canceling subscriptions or being unable to do so. Twenty-five centers logged cases where consumers inadvertently signed up for recurring subscriptions, 14 were concerned about ongoing charges for services they believed were one-time payments, and nine were billed for services they assumed were free.

Survey respondents ranged in age from their 20s to their 70s. Complaints included scenarios such as users registering for a service to watch a few episodes but later discovering it was a subscription contract, or mistakenly believing a monthly fee of 2,000 yen ($13) was weekly.

The vertical short drama market has seen rapid expansion from China, spreading globally in recent years. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan explained that some users struggle to locate cancellation instructions, or find them written in languages like Chinese or English they do not understand. The survey also uncovered complaints from 24 local governments involving contracts with overseas operators and 14 cases where language barriers prevented consumers from completing necessary procedures.

To address these issues, the national center has advised consumers to thoroughly review operators, fee structures, and cancellation processes before subscribing to any service. It also urges them to ensure that any contracts they sign are indeed terminated, noting that merely deleting an app does not cancel a subscription.