TOKYO (TR) – In a noticeable shift from the adult industry’s dark past, a growing number of young women in Japan are actively seeking out careers in adult video (AV).
For Osaka native Yua Fukuda, the journey to the adult entertainment world began at age 18 as a desperate escape from a life of poverty.
In a tell-all interview with Nikkan Spa! (Aug. 18), she divulges that even her mother has come around to fully approve of her career choice.
Independence and freedom
Raised in a low-income, single-mother household, Fukuda never considered higher education. “University was a place for rich people,” she said.
While attending a correspondence high school and working part-time, Fukuda quickly realized there was a low ceiling on her future. Fearing a mundane, dead-end life in a closed-off community, she set her sights on the AV industry to gain financial independence and freedom.
At just 18 years old, Fukuda moved to Tokyo with no friends, no job, and only an apartment secured. She immediately approached a talent agency and declared her intention to debut as an AV actress.
However, she hit an unexpected roadblock: industry regulations prohibited her from debuting in AV until she turned 20. Undeterred, Fukuda spent two years working as a “gravure” (bikini) and erotic model, biding her time until she came of age.
Debuted at 20
When she finally debuted at 20, Fukuda found that the adult industry obliterated her deep-seated inferiority complex.
“I had a complex about never going to college or taking lessons as a kid, and I could only envy others who went on overseas trips,” she explained. “Entering this world gave me the free time and money to do what I always wanted. It blew my complex away.”
Her family’s reaction to her controversial career choice has been surprisingly supportive.
Fukuda’s mother discovered her daughter’s underground modeling career after the teen accidentally left a fan letter at her childhood home in Osaka. Realizing her cover was blown, Fukuda bluntly announced she would transition to hardcore pornography once she turned 20.
“Live to 101”
Today, both her mother and grandmother accept her path.
“They say, ‘As long as you’re doing well, that’s fine,'” Fukuda said, admitting that her financial support likely helps smooth over any moral objections. “I take them on trips, treat them to meals, and give them money when they need it. So even if they want to complain, they can’t. My mother even tells everyone around her what I do.”
Despite her current enthusiasm for the adult industry, Fukuda is already plotting her exit strategy.
She intends to remain in the AV world for about a decade before completely vanishing from the public eye. “When I retire, I want to delete my social media and become a normal woman,” she said, adding that she is currently studying for her post-AV second career.
Her ultimate goal goes far beyond the adult industry.
“I want to live to 101,” Fukuda laughed. “If I die at exactly 100, I feel like I’d regret not living one more year. Right now, I’m just focusing on expanding my world and giving my all to my work as an AV actress.”
