TOKYO (TR) – In its typically provocative and uncompromising style, adult satellite channel Paradise TV on Sunday wrapped the ninth edition of its two-day AIDS fund drive.
The channel, which specializes in wacky porn programming that often features naked news broadcasts, “strip” mahjong exhibitions, and auctions of sex toys, holds its “24-Hour TV: Eroticism Saves the Earth” fund drive each year to raise money and awareness to assist in reducing the spread of AIDS, a condition that continues to be a worsening problem in Japan.
As in past years, the channel welcomed subscribers to its studios, located in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, to participate in various erotic events with AV (adult video) actresses and, hopefully, donate to the drive’s coffers.
A sluttiest woman contest tested the stamina of four topless actresses by determining who could gyrate her hips the most times during simulated sex sessions, and auctions of used panties, removed by AV actresses from behind a screen (and sometimes seasoned by a few generous crotch rubs), were fetching upwards of 30,000 yen a pop.
For subscribers interested in (literal) hands-on activities, a guessing game that culminated in a caress of an actress’ bare chest. (One participant, claiming to be a 33-year-old virgin employed by tabloid Weekly Playboy, seemed to be exceedingly pleased following his grabbing.)
Breast-squeezing is usually the drive’s centerpiece, and this year was no exception. Idol trio Marshmallow 3D bared their chests by lifting their tops, specifically, the event’s red-and-white t-shirt, featuring an outstretched hand holding a condom, to subscribers for a suggested minimum donation of 1,000 yen. In addition to a steady stream of male patrons on this day, Alice Suzuki, a naked news anchor for Paradise, was seen offering 5,000 yen to massage Marshmallow’s marshmallows.
Also on display was the group’s new 3D film, which includes sequences of each member using a vibrator or masturbating by hand, the culmination of which is enhanced by bursts of water against a plastic curtain behind the viewing area.
Given this, it would be logical to assume that Marshmallow 3D chose its name due to a mandate that encourages forward thinking as far as technology in the AV industry, but the group is a Paradise creation that only sings and dances, and does not partake in adult video activities. Kenichiro Suzuki, Paradise’s manager of international sales, explained the naming thusly: “It’s because all three are D-cup sized.”
Though it might require a substantial undertaking, there is a serious point to be found within the wackiness. In February, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare reported that the number of cases of HIV in Japan totaled 1,503 last year, the second highest on record (in 2008, the Ministry reported 1,557 cases), with 453 developing AIDS, the highest figure ever.
Experts say that proper condom usage is a key to reducing the spread of HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, and over the last decade and a half, the general trend of reported HIV infections and AIDS cases in Japan has been that of a steady increase.
Donations to “Eroticism Saves the Earth” average just under two million yen, a number that Paradise expects to match this year, and are earmarked for the Japan Foundation for AIDS Prevention.
Paradise president Tsuyoshi Shiba last year told The Tokyo Reporter that he wants to continue the event until at least its tenth incarnation. Stay tuned…