This refers to reports in Taiwanese media outlet on June 3 and later picked up by Japanese media that Fujisaki had entered Taiwan on a tourist visa and illegally engaged in prostitution, leading to her arrest in a hotel in Tianmu, a high-end residential area of ​​Taipei, and subsequently deportation.

Fujisaki acknowledged the reports. “The incident in question occurred about six months ago.” She then expressed deep remorse, saying, “Due to my thoughtless actions, I have caused great trouble and worry to my fans, those involved, and my agency. I take it very seriously that I have betrayed the trust of everyone who supports me, and I deeply regret my actions.”

Taiwanese media cited local insiders to report that a session in Japan pays ¥30,000, but women can fetch 30,000 Taiwanese dollars (approximately ¥150,000) per session in Taiwan.

Of course, there are porn stars and then there are porn stars, and with as many as 1,000 women debuting in the JAV industry per year, just claiming to be a porn star may not automatically push your prices up. But for super-popular JAV performers with real name value, the price in Taiwan is usually three to four times higher than in Japan. For mid-level or average actresses, the prices are roughly the same in both places, and in some cases, Taiwan is even slightly cheaper, according to local media.

Taiwan also hosts the Taipei Red Expo, one of Asia’s largest adult events and in which many major JAV stars participate. The next edition takes place in July. According to local media, “well-known Japanese adult film actresses have absolutely no intention of taking the risk of engaging in illegal side jobs in Taiwan. If caught by the police, they would not only face a three-year ban on entering Taiwan, but also be prohibited from participating in official public events such as the Taipei International Adult Exhibition.”

Such a three-year ban on entering Taiwan would be a huge blow to the actresses’ careers and reputations when the industry relies heavily on overseas customers with money to spend, while the value of the yen remains low and Japanese customers decline due to demographic changes.

Regarding her future, Fujisaki stated, “I am currently in discussions with my agency about my future. We are also reviewing scheduled filming and events.”

Fujisaki debuted in the industry in late 2024 with a release from Idea Pocket. She is known for her tall, slender body and F-cup breasts.

“First and foremost, I will prioritize addressing the concerns of all those involved and reflecting on my own actions. I will report back on future plans at a later date. I am truly sorry for this incident.”

This incident in Taiwan follows previous crackdowns in Hong Kong, resulting in the arrests of porn stars Noa Aizawa and Minato Maiha.

It is not uncommon for JAV performers to do sex work as well as compensated dating with “high-spec” men. The weak yen is prompting Japanese sex workers to go abroad to earn better money, but border agents are becoming more suspicious of women traveling alone, and some regular female travelers have been turned away at the border.

The popularity of Japanese porn in other parts of Asia means performers can earn substantial fees by moonlighting as sex workers for affluent clients in places like Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. But as the cautionary tale of Fujisaki shows, there are always risks.

In posts going back to at least 2024, he brazenly wrote about how he was looking forward to having sex with these “living onaholes” aged 16 or 17, and was going to “creampie” them.

It inevitably led to outrage online last month. Angry Indonesians found further examples of other Japanese men boasting about their supposed exploits. Warnings were issued by the Japanese embassy and government that child prostitution is illegal. Police in Jakarta have launched an investigation into Japanese citizens exploiting underage locals.

And now we get the inevitable adult video parody, which is likely to stoke the flames of controversy yet further.

Given the cooling-off period that new porn legislation demands, it is harder for the industry to respond quickly to such controversial and topical subjects.

The reaction to the Jakarta-themed 3D virtual reality porn release from SOD has been febrile, particularly from Indonesians. It was announced on May 28 (suggesting that it was already in development, since the legally necessary cooling-off period would make a release in the same month as the original controversy unlikely).

SOD Create blithely announced the start of streaming with the suggestive statement that “things in Jakarta are hot right now.”

The AV is a POV-shot VR release with a storyline in which the viewer is a man who pays for sex with a young, very small local in Jakarta. The action takes place in a sordid room in a hut. Given the sensitive nature of this release, we have refrained from posting explicit preview images (though it should go without saying that SOD Create would have made the production in Japan, not Jakarta, and with performers above the legal age).

However, the original link to the streaming release has disappeared, suggesting it has been permanently pulled from circulation, or at least taken offline temporarily while the controversy abates. It would not be the first time that a porn parody went too far and was cancelled. A similar fate befell SOD Create’s porn based on the DJ Soda groping incident.

Though there is concern about sex tourism in Japan with the prominence of young streetwalkers in Okubo Park in Kabukicho, Tokyo, the issue has usually been the other way around, with Japanese male sex tourists first frequenting places like South Korea decades ago, and then Southeast Asia. Corporate business trips or “golf vacations” was a common euphemism for salarymen behaving badly abroad.

Given the historical context of Japanese’s wartime invasion of the region and the sexual exploitation that accompanied the military takeover of territories, this is an especially sensitive issue for Indonesians as well as Japanese anti-porn and anti-prostitution campaigners.

And while the cheap yen has likely impacted the numbers of such male sex tourists in Jakarta, they clearly still exist. As does an apparent audience for a porn parody of this sad situation.

A new survey has found that 10.6% of people in Japan identify as LGBTQ+. The poll asked 46,658 individuals aged 20 to 59.

The survey was run by advertising giant Dentsu, whose interest in the subject perhaps shows how important and potentially lucrative the LGBTQ+ yen is to corporate brands.

Dentsu has previously carried out similar surveys, the last one of which was in 2023, which found that 9.7% self-identify as LGBTQ+. Presumably, greater understanding and awareness of sexual diversity accounts for the small increase, though gender and sexuality in Japan has always had fluidity and historically more tolerated than in Western nations due to an absence of morality based on Christian notions of sin. Homosexual relationships among male samurai, for instance, were not unknown. However, Japan does not allow same-sex marriage, despite widespread public support and efforts by local governments to introduce de facto recognition for partnerships.

These latest results about identity are generally in line with most other nations with freedom for sexual minorities. Ipos polling finds that many other countries have between 9 and 14% of people self-identifying as LGBTQ+ (the United States, for instance, is 11%).

The Dentsu survey also asked opinions regarding school education about sexual diversity. Though this part of the survey had a smaller sample of 6,240, it found that 81.7% expressed support for education on diverse sexual and gender identities.

Time Out Tokyo has a more detailed breakdown of the survey results.

In that time, countless other performers have fallen by the wayside and most have been forgotten, Hatano has not only retained her popularity, but kept up an enviable rate of releases and also seemingly not grown jaded as she got older.

It is estimated that the award-winning performer, known affectionately to fans as Hata-chan or Yui-chan, has appeared in more than 3,000 porn titles since her debut way back in 2008.

Of course, such a long career has a downside. You feel old compared to your costars! “Recently, I’ve been working with people who were only three years old when I debuted! It’s a really strange feeling,” she wrote to her 1 million followers on Instagram.

“In the early days, I was completely absorbed in my work, with the goal of definitely reaching the top, and I had a lot of momentum, but now I enjoy working at a relaxed pace and talking with my fans, so I may not have the same momentum as before, but I would be happy if you would continue to support me.”

The 38-year-old promised to keep going as she heads toward her next goal: 20 years in the industry.

A particular favorite for us is her appearance in a parody of Joker, which came out in early 2020. It is one of the most high-profile parody porns and became one of our most-read articles. However, a less pleasant title to remember is the one she unwittingly made with a man who (later) turned out to be a stalker and attempted murderer.

Hatano, who is very popular outside Japan in other parts of Asia (which is, let’s be frank, perhaps the main reason for her longevity in the industry), has also released numerous tie-in JAV adult toys over the years, including the Kanzen Meiki Yui Hatano, Foxy Hole Yui Hatano Porn Star Onahole, and Premium Hole Yui Hatano Porn Star Onahole.

Hatano, thanks for all the great releases over the past 18 years. Here’s to 18 more!

She debuted in the adult video industry in 2007 and has diversified by forming a vocal group with two other porn stars, Anri Okita and Mary Tachibana, and occasional appears in movies.

These tend to be erotic movies or softcore porn (sexploitation). Maniac Driver (2021) is probably the best known among her credits, and stars a number of other leading Japanese porn stars, including Saryu Usui, Ayumi Kimito, and Iori Kogawa.

We’re writing about Sayama and this somewhat obscure Japanese movie because we came across this fascinating footage and images from the shoot, revealing what’s it’s actually like to film these nude and sex scenes we all love watching. As you might expect, it’s definitely less glamorous than it looks after all the editing is done, and there’s a lot of waiting around while naked or scantily clad so crew can adjust lights, cameras, and makeup.

Here is Ai Sayama in action during the movie.

And here she is behind the scenes.

This is Iori Kogawa in one of her many nude scenes in Maniac Driver.

And here she is behind the scenes.

As you can tell, it’s not really a closed set, and there’s certainly no intimacy coordinators anywhere to be seen — just a male director and his minions all looking at you expectantly. That said, there’s also plenty of laughter and people seem aware of the ridiculousness of the situation (and, let’s be frank, the movie itself).

Hot spring (onsen) resorts are now places for wellness and luxury, but traditionally were closely associated with erotic pleasures, either for newly married couples or guys looking for a good time with geisha, hostesses, and sex workers. It’s also why sex museums were often at such resorts.

Pink companions (sometimes called super companions) will officially stop short of providing actual sex to guests, but they wear provocative clothing or nothing but underwear while serving men in the banquet room, and sitting intimately with each man to ensure he has a very good time.

Basically, the yukata-clad guys drink and eat, and then start having naughty fun with the ladies — often right in front of their mates.

We scoured the internet for some illustrative pictures of pink companions entertaining male clients.

While this style of accommodation and service is no longer as prevalent as it is used to be, and the term itself has a distinctly late-Showa aura, it is still possible to book trips to resorts that offer pink companions for entertainment purposes.

The Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Taxation Bureau has imposed a 20% pay cut on a female employee working at a tax office in Saitama Prefecture for working at adult entertainment establishments without permission and receiving payment for it.

This is a moot point, though, since the employee in question has since resigned.

According to the Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Taxation Bureau, the female employee in her twenties worked at five adult entertainment establishments without permission between October of last year and March of this year, earning approximately ¥1.8 million in compensation.

The bureau announced on May 27 that the employee was scouted in Tokyo, after which she started working at five delivery health (call girl) businesses.

She either acquired a taste for such work or found it an easy and palatable source of income, since she was also doing sugar dating (known as papakatsu in Japan) from January of this year. She allegedly dated around 30 men, earning around ¥500,000. Considering the number of men, that’s actually not a large amount of money, so we can assume that some guys just paid her to have a meal with them, while with others she went further (and received better compensation).

Why did she need all this extra money? Does the tax bureau not pay enough to live on?

In quite a familiar scenario, she was reportedly using her dubiously earned side income to fund her “support activities” for her favorite underground idol. A fan will spend money on their oshi (idol you support) by buying tickets for events, paying for meet-and-greets, buying merchandise, and so on. In the competitive underground idol scene, this is the main source of income for members.

We’re curious to know how she was rumbled (not an audit it seems — Jiji Press mentions a tip-off, perhaps from a disgruntled former sugar daddy), but the unnamed employee was penalized with a three-month pay cut on May 25 and she subsequently resigned. Perhaps it was out of shame or because she knew that the pay cut meant there was no longer much point working at the Saitama tax bureau when she can be earning much more through compensated dating.

The head of the Kanto-Shinetsu bureau issued an apology. We’re not sure if the employee was punished for earning an undeclared side income so much as for the adult nature of the income. But as a public servant, there may well be rules against engaging in such legally dubious work.

Eimi Fukada was one of the biggest names in the Japanese adult video industry but she seemed to quietly retire last year. As far as we know, she didn’t realize any new productions and, while we didn’t seem a formal announcement, she is now described in the media as a “former” porn star (or, as the Japanese media always euphemistically puts it, a “former sexy actress”).

Since 2025, the 28-year-old has focused on maintaining a fan club and her millions-strong following on social media.

She recently appeared (looking her usual glamorous self) on a show on Abema that examined her past struggles and current circumstances — even revealing the balance of her actual savings account.

Fukada shares that she was bullied during element and junior high school and that she was motivated to earn a lot of money because she wanted to spend it on plastic surgery operations.

She tells the heart-warming tale of an encounter with children in the slums of the Philippines, which has apparently inspired her to sell her assets and possessions, including cherished trophies and luxury brand bags, to pay for a cafeteria providing meals for local children.

We assume the charity project is funded and organized in such as a way as to be self-sustaining in the long term.

This is notable because Fukada infamously had to use all her savings to pay a massive tax bill. We wonder if the tax bureau is aware of these savings and the assets that she is selling, though we assume Fukada would not be foolish enough to reveal details about her finances on a TV show without first straightening out her past tax woes.

A cynic might say that she is selling the assets to avoid further scrutiny, taxes, and criticism of her finances, or as a gimmick to keep her in the mainstream public eye.

Given her obvious wealth (at least, before she sold off her assets), we are also curious to know if she still thinks that guys should pay for everything on a date, an opinion that once provoked an uproar and resulted in an apology to fans.

On the shows, Fukada also disclosed details about what has been an open secret among fans: her plastic surgery.

She debuted as a solo actress (tantai joyu) under the name Kokoro Amami. “I hadn’t had any plastic surgery or anything, so it didn’t sell well. Then I started doing solo releases (kikaku tantai), but even that didn’t work. I worked at hostess clubs and escort services, saved up ¥3 million.” Shen then took that money to South Korea to get surgery done.

She underwent extensive plastic surgery and re-debuted in 2018 under the name Eimi Fukada. “My first solo release sold incredibly well. People were saying, ‘Eimi, you’re amazing! You’ve sold enough to buy a house!’ But my fee was only ¥400,000.”

Some people find summer so hot and sweaty that just the thought of getting intimate with themselves or a partner is too much.

Others (and we count ourselves among them) welcome all the sweat, which seems to take us back to something more primal. And there’s nothing more primal than sexual pleasure.

But Tenga isn’t promoting a special summer sex toy (though that would be fun). After all, it’s just released the Flip Flexy designer male masturbator, which is enough of a treat already.

No, the designer adult brand has teamed up with Earth Corporation to produce two Tenga-themed ways to keep bugs at bay. Earth is Japan’s premier manufacturer of mosquito coils, which were invented in Japan. After all, you don’t want bugs spoiling your sweaty summer sex.

One of the items is a hangable bug repellent that lasts a whole year. You can have a Tenga Cup hanging indoors or in your garden, releasing its chemicals into the air to ensure flies, gnats, and midges don’t come your way.

The other items is a repellent that you place down on a surface, releasing a scent that helps to deodorize and also keeps midges away. It lasts 180 days. This type of deodorizing anti-bug cup is often found in public toilets in Japan, though not usually in a Tenga collaboration.

Both items feature covers in the iconic red of the classic Tenga Cup.

Given that Tenga is known for outlandish and ambitious marketing stunts (such as sending a toy into space), at first we thought this was a joke but it seems they are genuine products available in Japan through Tenga’s own store as well as online shops like Zozotown.

Tell the bugs they’re not wanted by advertising your masturbation habits! After all, one of Tenga’s ongoing campaigns is to remove the shame over adult matters and embrace them as part of your identity — and through stylish-looking adult toys.

We’ve translated and edited some highlights from the two interviews.

You debuted in the porn industry in 2019. What led you to join a talent agency that represents adult film performers?

Sora Amakawa: I needed to earn money to support my family, so a friend introduced me to a talent agency that specializes in adult film actresses. However, that friend was receiving a scouting commission (a system where the scout receives money as long as the woman works for the agency) from the agency. She even put a GPS tracker on me and kept me captive for six months. I’m calling her a friend here, but looking back, the relationship was suspicious.

You were being controlled by that friend?

Amakawa: They restricted my meetings with other people, dragged me to various places even when I was tired, and controlled even my meal times and menus, robbing me of time to think. That’s how I was brainwashed.

And it seems that the agency you were with at the time did not pay your wages. How long were you with that agency?

Amakawa: I was with them for about three years, from my debut in 2019.

In 2019, the so-called new AV Law didn’t exist yet. Was the total amount of wages paid by the production company disclosed to you by your agency?

Amakawa: It was around the time that the Production Association’s regulations were established requiring the total amount of wages to be disclosed to the performers. The manufacturer transfers the fee to the agency first and the agency temporarily holds the fee.

First, my agency gave my fee to the friend who introduced me to them. She said I was too emotionally unstable and needed a friend to manage it. The agency president seemed to believe here. The amount I ultimately received was about 25% of the total fee. On top of that, because I was being taken in by that friend, I was also made to pay for her rent, food, and utilities under the guise of miscellaneous expenses. That situation continued for about a year after my debut.

I guess I completely trusted my friend. Moreover, that friend would spread rumors to my fans that I can’t manage herself.

Didn’t you have any doubts about that person embezzling your earnings or constantly making you pay for things?

Amakawa: Of course I had doubts. But if I resisted, they would start a negative campaign against me, and they had a GPS tracker on me. Before I knew it, an environment had been created where it was better for them if I kept quiet.

It’s like you were brainwashed. How did you escape from that?

Amakawa: I cut off all contact, including the GPS and social media. I had a lot of followers on social media because I had debuted as an actress, but I deleted them. I was determined to escape.

Were you still not paid by the agency?

Amakawa: It seemed the president was using company funds and earnings for gambling. Filming was continuing, so the production company was paying me, and the money should have been saved, but I found out he was gambling and losing a lot. I had savings, so I lived off my savings for about a year.

In the end, how much money were you not paid?

Amakawa: Several million yen.

Did you consider suing or pursuing a criminal complaint?

Amakawa: There were actresses who were fighting civil cases, but it seems their secrets were posted online and exposed. Considering all those stories, I thought it would be safer to leave it at that. I did consult with a lawyer. I think there are various types of contracts, like individual business contracts or service contracts, but there wasn’t a contract with the agency itself. I kept asking them to create a contract, but in the end, they never did.

You had the issue of non-payment of wages at another agency, right?

Amakawa: I think I’m probably the only adult film actress to have two consecutive non-payment issues. The second time, the unpaid amount was around ¥1 million. After leaving my previous agency, I was hesitant about continuing my career as a performer, but I couldn’t make a living without working, so I joined a new agency through an introduction from someone I trusted at the time.

Even though I was filming several films a month, I wasn’t getting paid, so I requested payment, and they said there were continuous delays. It seems the president at the time had bought out the previous agency, and I think he was struggling to make those payments.

The other actresses in the agency had all been paid. I realized that I hardly had any opportunities to meet with the president or see the other girls anymore. Looking back, I think I was isolated from those around me, and I no longer had an environment where I could talk to anyone. Whenever something came up, it was always just me and the president talking. I found out about the unpaid wages about a year after I left the agency. I managed to arrange a meeting with the president of the agency, but he ran away on the day of the meeting and didn’t show up. Since then, I haven’t heard from him at all.

Despite having gone through that experience twice, why are you still working as an adult performer?

Amakawa: My current agency was founded by someone who used to be my manager. He understands me the best, and he was the most capable person at my previous agency.

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the industry in the future?

Amakawa: Because the agency receives payment from the production company first, it’s almost impossible to deal directly with individuals. Recently, a certain number of actresses create their own independent productions or work freelance. If you have a relationship of trust, you can shoot and sell your own works.

You joined an industry campaign to make the new porn law easier for performers and crew. What is your stance now?

Amakawa: I’ve been keeping a close eye on it. The mandatory one-month cooling-off period from contract signing to filming is problematic if an actress has to cancel on the day of filming due to sudden illness or other reasons. Because the performance contract has to be finalized a month in advance, if even one performer suddenly falls ill, there’s no replacement, and the shoot it totally called off.

How should that be fixed?

Amakawa: People who want to coerce performers will likely try to do so regardless of whether the contract is signed a month in advance or a year later. And if a performer can’t show up on the day of filming, the shoot is canceled, so I think it would be better if the regulations were a little more flexible in that regard.

You’re currently appealing to opposition lawmakers and former lawmakers who lost their seats.

Amakawa: Lobbying is quite important. However, there are a lot of relatively compliant people in the industry, so we often end up skipping the proper steps and just charging in. But in lobbying, it’s also very important not to make enemies. If you get that wrong, relationships can deteriorate very quickly. When everyone is trying to work together in unison, if someone rushes ahead and charges in, there are a lot of people who already have negative feelings towards the industry.

I hope we can incorporate more feedback from those on the ground in the future. I think it’s important to listen carefully to the voices of the people actually working in the industry and adjust the system accordingly.