Hi. I recently ordered a "Japanese Edition" of Bruce Dickinson's "The Chemical Wedding" CD with a bonus track. It arrived today. I have never bought an import CD before. The CD is manufactured and distributed by "Victor Entertainment, Inc., Tokyo". It has catalogue number VICP 60468.

It came in a shrink-wrap (which looks authentic) and has stickers which say "Import" and "Made In Japan". Since this is a gift to someone I know, I cannot open it.

Can someone please tell me if this is an authentic CD or some cheap-ass pirated copy? Thanks.

It's most likely authentic. Usually pirate CDs have the Pirate company's name on them and not a real Music label like Victor. And most pirated copies are from other Asian countries and not Japan.

Okay, thanks. I didn't know Victor was a legitimate company. My CD looks like the real thing. I always thought JVC was the only company thtat manufactured CDs in Japan. By the way, how good is the quality of Victor disks? Have you had any problems with them like CD rot (assuming you own some of them)? Are they long lasting when handled with care? Thanks.

JVC = VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN