The Japanese parliament has passed a new amendment to their country's copyright law with regarding online piracy. The amendment makes it specifically illegal to knowingly download music from unlicensed services - Japanese copyright rules have in the past focused more on those who upload unlicensed content rather than those who then download it.
The new law, which comes into effect next year, doesn't say what penalties would be issued against those who breach it, and the need for a downloader to know a content source is unlawful might result in evidential problems if someone was charged or sued.
Nevertheless, the Japanese music industry welcomed the move, with Kei Ishizaka of the Recording Industry Association Of Japan telling reporters: "We are thankful to those concerned who supported this statue. Our organisation will continue its work to stop all copyright infringement and will make our best effort to inform the public of the changes to the law".