If you're anything like us, you like nude selfies. Not necessarily your own or even your partner's, but perusing those of others posted generously online.
We've covered some great examples of these over the years and they never cease to get us in the right mood.
But if you happen to like the ones posted by high schoolers or even younger, you may not be able to enjoy them that much longer if the powers that be have their way.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly is proposing to change the Healthy Youth Development Ordinance, which covers the use of media and minors to make it harder to ask ...
We recently read a report in the Asahi Shimbun about the adult video scouts who operate on the streets of Tokyo, searching for the next porn talent to come walking by. If you've ever wondered how a lot of the women, especially the anonymous stars of AV with large casts, get into their jobs, it's often because they are aggressively scouted (many are also "persuaded" to move into porn from careers in modeling, gravure and hostessing). The result is an industry with an almost literally countless number of women working in it as performers at various levels.
The article was an interview with a ...
The Guardian has profiled the porn star Kurumin Aroma, another example of the chronic problem of coercion in the adult video industry in Japan.
Though long widely known for some time, the controversy over the coercion and exploitation of female performers has recently scandalized the industry, leading to a lot of press attention, a public apology and even arrests. Several prominent performers have come forward with stories of how they were tricked and forced into performing.
Aroma wanted to be a gravure idol and was spotted by a scout while still at college. Then when she had a ...
After the media controversy comes the government crackdown.
The biggest story in the adult industry last year was when the widespread coercion in the porn industry was finally exposed after several famous performers came forward, in addition to multiple arrests and prosecutions.
It led to an official apology from the industry, though can we really hope that things will really improve when the industry is so large and its needs so rampant? (After all, such coercion is also endemic for gravure idols, music idols and the general entertainment world.)
Kyodo now reports that the ...
A Japanese newswire article about sexual harassment among aspiring models and idols is doing the rounds, confirming what we've been saying for years.
Apparently, a government survey has shown that 26.9% of Japanese young female models and starlets have received "unwanted requests for sexually oriented photo shoots".
This comes hot on the heels of last year's controversy about widespread coercion in the porn industry.
In the first survey by the Cabinet Office on sexual abuse against young women, 7.7% of respondents had been offered contracts to become models or starlets.
Asked about ...
We have recently seen a lot of controversy in the porn industry in Japan over coercion after several prominent cases where women, including current stars, have come forward to allege they were forced to perform when they were originally scouted on different terms.
It is one of the AV industry's dirty secrets that no one liked to talk about until last year. It has led to arrests and court cases as well as a wave of bad publicity in the mainstream media.
And the latest "victim" of the controversy is not even a member of the industry!
Now a lawyer who represented a production company ...
The controversy over exploitation and coercion in the Japanese porn industry continues to rage.
Following allegations, condemnations, arrests, and apologies, now comes another development. The popular AV star Saki Kouzai has come forward with the revelation that her porn debut was also coerced.
In a 20-hour interview with Bunshun Shukan, she has come forward alleging both coercion and makura eigo, or the casting couch: you have to sleep with people to get ahead.
She is currently suing Ryo Aoki, the head of Marks Japan who was previously arrested for a previous coercion case. Three ...
The Japanese AV industry is under a lot of pressure right now.
Just today we heard that top porn star Nozomi Aso has been arrested on drug charges.
Then there have been all the reports and criticisms about alleged coercion and exploitation in the industry, which even led to the arrest of porn industry staff and an official industry apology last month.
Now the arrests have led to new charges. This time, the president of production company CA, Yoshihide Murayama, is one of 52 people -- 9 actresses 24 male performers, plus crew -- accused of indecent exposure during a shoot a camping ...
One of the year's biggest stories continues to get bigger.
Exploitation and coercion in the Japanese AV industry has been condemned for trafficking. It has sparked a public debate about labor rights for porn performers, or the lack thereof.
The issue of coercing women to appear in porn has even led to arrests. In days past, such people in the porn industry were presumably protected by the Yakuza but the ongoing civil war may have shaken up the system.
Amid intense media attention, now an AV industry association has issued a formal apology and promised reform.
The Intellectual ...
The recent interest in Japanese AV performers' labor and human rights continues to develop. It's one of the big stories of the year so far.
Following the arrest mere days ago of a porn performer agency for forcing its roster of women to appear in porn and other recent developments like a damning report and seminar on the issue of exploitation and trafficking, now comes news that former AV star Mariko Kawana has launched a new orgnization to help.
There are already groups like Lighthouse: Center for Human Trafficking Victims (formerly Polaris Project Japan) and Human Rights Now (HRN) as ...
