TOKYO (TR) – A government survey showed one in four women who signed contracts to be models or idol stars was asked to perform in adult videos or illicit photo shoots, reports TBS News (Feb. 8).
A total of 197 women who responded to the online Cabinet Office survey in December 2016 said they signed contracts, of which 53 respondents, or about one quarter, said they were asked to take part in adult video productions or erotic photo shoots that they didn’t agree to or were not told about.
The survey covered a total of 2,575 women, most of them teenagers, who said they applied or were scouted to be models or idol stars.
Many respondents said they were asked to “perform or take part in chat rooms wearing swimsuits or underwear” followed by “wearing only some or no clothing at all while filming” adult video productions or taking part in live chat rooms.
“A penalty fee will be incurred”
Some 30 percent of respondents said they complied with the requests, the survey showed.
Aki Sekawa of Lighthouse, a non-profit body that combats human trafficking in Japan, said, “It’s very clever when an environment is created where, when the time comes for a shoot, you’re unable to decline because ‘a penalty fee will be incurred,’” reports TV Asahi (Feb. 8).
“Search online for high-paying part-time work, and you’ll find job listings that you can’t even tell are for adult videos,” Sekawa said. “Exchanges are done online, so it’s hard to see the harm being done. It’s hard for people to realize these things are going on.”
An internet-based society is spreading the harmful practices, Sekawa said.
Brainwashed students
Authorities have been cracking down on Japan’s adult video industry following statements by numerous women, notably current performer Saki Kozai, who claim to have been forced to perform in the trade.
Non-profit organizations, including Lighthouse and People Against Pornography and Sexual Violence (PAPS), have spoken out about victims that have been forced into adult video productions — many of them brainwashed university students who blame themselves for signing contracts under coercion.
