Japanese wholesaler says it sold books to Anthropic for more than a year

A Japanese book wholesaler says its subsidiary sold books to Anthropic from December 2024 to December 2025, after agreeing a deal the previous November. The company says the subsidiary did not know the books were intended for AI training, raising fresh questions about how the material for Anthropic’s Project Panama was sourced.

Anthropic Watch analysis

What happened

Nippan Group Holdings told the Japan Book Publishers Association that its subsidiary, Nippan IPS, struck the deal with Anthropic in November 2024 and sold books to the company over the following year. Nippan IPS had asked about the purpose of the purchases, but Nippan Group says the subsidiary was unaware they were for AI learning.

The company has not disclosed how many books were sold or the total value of the sales. The association shared Nippan Group’s letter with around 380 member publishers. Nippon.com, citing Jiji Press, reports that an internal Anthropic document disclosed in a US lawsuit showed a deal with “Nippan Japan” as part of Project Panama, Anthropic’s effort to scan books from around the world.

Why it matters

The report provides a specific account of a Japanese supplier’s involvement in Anthropic’s book-scanning project, and of what the supplier says it understood about the purpose of the purchases. The unanswered questions are substantial: how many books were involved, what Anthropic did with them, and what permissions or terms governed their use.

The account does not establish that Nippan IPS knowingly sold books for AI training, nor does it settle any legal question about the books’ use. It does put another part of the supply chain into view, beyond the publishers and technology company at either end.

Our read

The most revealing detail may be the gap between asking why books were wanted and, according to Nippan Group, not knowing they were intended for AI learning. That is a concrete piece of the sourcing story, not a verdict on whether the arrangement was lawful. The missing numbers and contract terms matter; until they emerge, the shape of the deal remains only partly visible.

What to watch

• Whether Nippan Group or Anthropic provides the number of books and the value of the deal.
• What the agreement said about scanning, storage and use of the books.
• Whether publishers or the parties involved provide further details about the arrangement.

Discussion spark: If a supplier says it asked why books were being bought but did not know they were intended for AI training, who should bear responsibility for making the intended use clear: the buyer, the seller, or both?

Anthropic Watch is independently operated by WittyWires. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Anthropic.