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Komeito submits proposals to boost support for women forced into porn

Lawmaker Sayaka Sasaki of Komeito
Lawmaker Sayaka Sasaki of Komeito

TOKYO (TR) – Komeito, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s junior coalition partner, submitted proposals to the government on Friday to strengthen support for an increasing number of women claiming to have been forced into the adult video (AV) industry.

Komeito formed a project team in January to tackle what is being considered a social problem, where young women have been coerced into appearing in AV productions after being led to believe they would become models or idols, reports Nippon News Network (Mar. 15).

A government survey found that one in about four women who signed on to be models were asked to take part in sexual acts that were not disclosed when they accepted their contracts.

The submitted proposals include strengthening the support system for such women by establishing facilities in prefectures where victims can discuss their problems.

Komeito is also pushing for campaigns to promote public awareness at educational institutions to strive to prevent instances of coercion and the toughening of regulations against content that includes extreme sexual content, such as rape.

Lawmaker Sayaka Sasaki, chairperson of the project team, said she hopes for “aggressive action so there will be no more suffering, even if that means just one less case.”

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the government’s top spokesman, accepted the proposals and emphasized that the government is working toward prevention of more such cases.

Significant increase

From January to November of last year, a total of 148 persons sought help from non-profit organizations Lighthouse and People Against Pornography and Sexual Violence (PAPS). In spite of not representing a full 12 months, the figure is a significant increase over the 83 cases from the year before and the 29 cases from 2014.

The recent crackdown on Japan’s stagnating adult industry, including the bust of a firm that manages uncensored pornography site Caribbeancom.com, has raised fears that productions will shift underground and spur more extreme content.

The arrest this month of popular AV actress Yui Nishikawa is also raising speculation about a shift taking place in the industry in which the number of fewer performers declines sharply due to fears of an wider crackdown by law enforcement.