Criminal groups counterfeiting luxury brand items are changing the products they target, leaving affected industries scrambling to cope.
By the time manufacturers and pawnshops that stock name-brand products can take measures against existing counterfeit items, a new wave of fakes has already hit the consumer market and the cat-and-mouse game continues. The number of seized fake goods imported from overseas reached a record high last year, and experts say Japan has been targeted internationally due to its lax regulations.