TOKYO (TR) – “I am the happiest I’ve ever been right now.”
That is the verdict of 75-year-old Miyoko Seto, an active adult video (AV) actress and sex worker who plunged into Japan’s commercial sex industry at the age of 70 after decades of prioritizing her family over herself, reports Josei Jishin (Oct. 4).
Five years ago, Seto was a divorced former homemaker relying on her daughter to survive. Desperate to find work at 70, she applied for conventional jobs but was universally rejected over the phone the moment she revealed her age.
Her life took a drastic turn during a conversation with her daughter at a local izakaya. Seto recalled being scouted for the AV industry years prior—an offer she had firmly rejected at the time. To her surprise, her daughter encouraged her, saying, “That sounds interesting, why don’t you try it?”
“Pushed by my daughter”
For Seto, the leap into the adult industry was also a chance to reclaim her sexuality. She married at 24, had two daughters, and divorced at 34 to become a single mother. A second marriage at 45 brought years of caring for a stepchild and an ailing mother-in-law. Her second husband was overwhelmingly indifferent to intimacy, resulting in a sexless marriage that lasted over 20 years. In total, Seto went nearly three decades without sex.
“I thought it might be a bit sad to die without experiencing it again,” Seto said. “Pushed by my daughter, I applied.”
Her daughter even escorted her to the building of an agency specializing in jukujo (mature women). Seto signed a contract that very day. Over the next four years, she starred in 17 titles, playing roles ranging from a grandmother to a post-retirement high school teacher getting intimate with a student in the nurse’s office.
Liberating
Despite never having stripped in front of others before, Seto found the experience liberating. She was deeply moved by the care shown by the young male actors and film crews, realizing she had been starved of such affection during her years as a homemaker.
When her AV series eventually concluded, Seto consulted her daughter once more before transitioning to work at a brothel specializing in mature women. Her daughter’s response was simple: “You’re at an age where you should just do what you want.”
Today, fans of her videos travel from across the country to visit her at the parlor. Her clients range from an 85-year-old man to youths who have just reached legal adulthood. “I tell the young ones, ‘I’m older than your mother. We’re literally a grandmother and grandson,'” Seto laughed.
“Not causing trouble”
Seto remains entirely unfazed by the prospect of her relatives discovering her unconventional career. “If they want to cut ties over it, I’ll tell them to go right ahead. I’m not causing trouble for anyone,” she stated.
The income from her sex work has allowed Seto to finally split the apartment rent with her daughter and save for vacations. While she admits she doesn’t make enough to guarantee total financial security for her twilight years—joking that she “should have stripped 20 years ago for better money” — the job has radically shifted her mindset.
Once bound by traditional expectations, Seto now views sex as a joyful experience rather than a mere metric of a husband’s love.
When asked about her future, the 75-year-old was resolute: “I would be thrilled if I could keep doing this job until I’m 80.”
