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thumb|[[Adult video in Japan|Adult videos in a Japanese rental shop, 2008]]

thumb|[[Pornographic magazines on shelves in Japan, 2009]]

thumb|[[Hentai manga in Japan, 2014]]

In Japan, pornography has unique characteristics that readily distinguish it from western pornography. Pornographic films are known as "adult videos" (AV) in Japan, so Japanese adult videos (JAV) refers to the Japanese Adult Video industry. After World War II, the law against 'obscenity', Article 175, was the only official censorship law that remained in force. During the Allied occupation of Japan, which lasted until 1952, all forms of sexually explicit material were prohibited in the country. American forces occupying Japan imposed Western ideas of morality and law. The Japanese public slowly came to adopt some of these ideas and practices. Negative views about pornography that were foreign to Japanese culture were accepted and applied to visual depictions as they were the ones most likely recognized and thereby criticized by Westerners. As a result, once the occupation forces left, the Japanese government kept the ban on sexually explicit material in place until the late 1980s; images or depictions of frontal nudity were banned, as well as pictures of pubic hair or genitals. No sex act could be depicted graphically. Sex work was outlawed in Japan in 1958.

Influenced by magazines such as Playboy, pornographic magazines were printed soon after World War II. Playboys articles being about American lifestyle, women being mostly non-Asian, interviews being with people largely unknown in Japan, and fashion and sport being American spawned a fashion for a genre known as yōmono (literally "Western things").

In the early 1960s, several movie studios began producing "pink films". With censorship laws prohibiting genitals from being seen but otherwise free to express anything, these movies quickly diversified to cover all genres, including rape and bondage. Throughout the 1960s, the "pink films" were mainly produced by low-budget, independent filmmakers such as Kōji Wakamatsu. In 1971, the major studio Nikkatsu entered the pink film genre. Starting in 1971, homosexually-oriented magazines began to appear, including Barazoku. Homosexual magazines tend to feature particular body types, such as Badi (younger adult males), Samson, (chubby men) and G-men, (muscular men).

The 1976 Japanese love film In the Realm of the Senses by Nagisa Ōshima was banned from Japan due to its nudity and erotic content. Despite quickly becoming a sensation at film festivals in New York and Cannes, in October 1976 the film was seized by Japanese authorities. While the film was based on a true story well known in Japan, its content, involving the vivid depiction of erotic asphyxiation, was considered too obscene for public viewing. The producer and script writer for the film were taken to court and charged with obscenity but were found not guilty. Frontal nudity was not permitted to appear on film in Japan until 1986. Few A/Vs were sold in laserdisc format. Playing games on personal computers with no limitation on content except for censorship laws was sometimes viewed as being synonymous with playing bishōjo games, because so few Japanese people saw any reason to play video games on these platforms, as opposed to video game consoles.

In the late 1980s, the dōjinshi market expanded. It is estimated that about half of this market consists of pornography. Copyright problems plague the market, yet the dōjinshi market was a common place for creators to start before making a debut in a professional magazine. Yaoi began in the dōjinshi market.

1990s

According to John Carr, a United Kingdom government adviser on Internet safety policy for children, two-thirds of all pedophilic images on the Internet in the late 1990s may have originated in Japan. Since the law against child pornography in 1999, the proportion is now believed to be less than 2%. ECPAT believes that many child pornography producers have simply turned to producing anime or films featuring adults dressed as children.

21st century

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, global viewership for Japanese pornography rose significantly as more people were forced to stay home. The sale of videos, sex toys, and even subtitles rose significantly in sales during this period. At the same time, the use of virtual reality headsets has shot up during this period, mainly due to the increase in available content and faster internet speeds.

With the Japanese pornography industry growing, increasing numbers of women in the country have become victims of sexual exploitation. Many were tricked into believing they were signing up for "modelling contracts", only to be coerced into becoming pornographic actresses. These continued occurrences have led to calls for greater regulation.

In September 2022, one of the largest Japanese adult video distribution websites, R18.com, announced that they would be closing down permanently on 31 January 2023 due to billing issues. The company's Japanese website, DMM.com, will still remain operational, although international payments have been restricted. In June 2022, the Japanese government passed a bill that aims to protect the rights of actors and actresses coerced into the pornography industry. The new set of laws gives people who have agreed to appear in pornographic films the right to terminate their contract at any time prior to and up to one year after the public release of their films without condition. The bill also states that a one-month period must pass between contract-signing and filming, and a four-month period must pass between filming and public release of the film, in order to give actors and actresses time to reconsider their decision. Additionally, the bill highlights a greater need for transparency around the types of sexual acts involved in a film by requiring producers to provide a written explanation of the nature of the content and details of sexual acts involved. Misrepresentation or intimidation to prevent withdrawal of contracts is liable to up to 3 years of imprisonment or 3 million yen for individuals, or 100 million yen for corporations.

Considerations

Censorship laws

Under Article 175 of the Penal Code of Japan people who sell or distribute obscene materials can be punished by fines or imprisonment. Article 175 was included in the original document in 1907 and remains relatively unchanged. Showing pubic hair and adult genitalia was once considered obscene.

Maebari (literally ) is a Japanese slang term used in the pornography industry to mean "hiding the pubic hair". Initially this was done by sticking adhesive tape over the crotch, and the term maebari was used for this tape. This technique allowed the film makers to conform with Japanese censorship requirements and avoid the risk of expensive re-shooting. In Japanese pink films these maebari evolved into self-adhesive bandage-like coverings that were discarded after use. and triangular. Once the removal of pubic hair by shaving became popular, maebari fell out of use. Therefore, religious attitudes are no obstacle to the presence of pornographic material in Japan's society.

Child pornography

Possession of child pornography depicting real children has been illegal in Japan since June 2014. Distribution of child pornography was made de jure illegal in 1999 after international pressure from the United Nations, UNICEF and other international organizations, although the law made a distinction between hardcore pornography and softcore pornography, which is widely available in Japan, such as at junior idol and lolicon media centers like Akihabara and Nipponbashi, and at most konbini, or Japanese convenience stores. Prosecutions have been made under the new law by prosecutors under Japan's unique legal system, resulting in some financial verdicts, with relative strictness of enforcement continuing to vary by prefecture.

In June 2008, a bill that proposed the imposition of a ban on child-pornography possession was submitted to the House of Representatives of Japan where it was brought before the Diet in September, but failed to pass. On 15 July 2014 penalties were added to the simple possession of child pornography as a result of the revision of the law.

Sexual assault

In 1999, Milton Diamond and Ayako Uchiyama postulated that the rise of pornographic material in Japan from the 1970s onwards creates a decrease in reported violence.

In 2016, the campaign group Human Rights Now reported allegations that some women appearing in pornographic films had been forced to do so against their will. The group called for the introduction of legislation to regulate production companies and for help for any performers who had experienced abuse.

Coercion

In 2016, Japanese pornographic actress Saki Kozai told AFP, Tokyo that she was tricked into appearing in pornography. She had signed a deal with an agency believing she would be modelling. At the time of the first shoot, she was asked to take off her clothes and have sex in front of the camera. She was surrounded by 20 men and could not say "no" and had to perform the act in front of camera unwillingly. The agency also convinced her to cut herself off from her family to focus on work. Another woman from the pornography industry said that she was tricked into working in pornography by an agency on the pretense of becoming a singer.

In Tokyo, three people were arrested for allegedly forcing a woman to appear in more than 100 pornographic films. Pornography agencies use intimidating tactics when women try to refuse to perform sex acts, such as demanding huge fines, citing vaguely worded contracts, and telling them they will not find a job outside of the pornography industry. Many such women have committed suicide under the high pressure and coercion they face.

Confessional writings by both men and women are a popular topic in men's and pornographic magazines.

Movie adaptations

In August 2019, Netflix released The Naked Director drama depicting the life of a Japanese adult video producer, Toru Muranishi and one of his first casts, Kaoru Kuroki. The drama received worldwide recognition, with a second season released in 2021. Today, Toru Muranishi is known as the "Emperor of Porn" and "the dirtiest of the industry's dirty old men" for being one of the pioneers in the industry.

Manga

Manga with pornographic content targets both male and female audiences, and both male and female manga artists write pornographic works. Male-oriented pornographic manga is known as eromanga. In Western contexts, this is more commonly referred to as hentai manga.

Video (JAV)

JAV films are tracked using a studio‑assigned alphanumeric code. It starts with a 3–4‑letter prefix denoting the studio or series (e.g., ONED, PSD, S1), followed by a sequential number (usually three or four digits). Special variants use different prefixes or suffixes (e.g., 5ONE for rentals, ONSD for compilations), and some uncensored titles embed the release date. This system lets producers, databases and collectors index and search titles efficiently.

Virtual reality (VR)

Virtual reality has risen in popularity in recent years, largely propelled by the pornography industry. Since the start of 2020, virtual reality use for Japanese adult videos has greatly increased, and this is largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the industry maturing.

Subgenres

Among the various subgenres of Japanese pornography are the following:

  • Lolicon (short for "Lolita complex") : This genre involves young (or young-looking) girl characters in fiction (anime and manga).
  • Shotacon (short for "Shoutarou Complex"): Similar to lolicon, this genre involves young (or young-looking) boy characters in fiction (anime and manga).
  • Yaoi ("Boy's Love"): Featuring two boys or men in a homosexual/gay relationship. Target audience is mainly (but not limited to) young adult women. It typically features a feminine 'uke' or submissive/bottom, and a masculine 'seme' or dominant/top, however this is not always the case as 'uke' is often portrayed as masculine as well.
  • Geikomi (sometimes "Bara"): Manga made by and for gay men that are often pornographic. Typically features adult men with varying degrees of muscle, body fat, and body hair, akin to beefcake or bears. Geikomi can focus on the more realistic obstacles and challenges that come with being gay in Japan.
  • Yuri ("Girl's Love"): Featuring two grown adult women in a homosexual/lesbian relationship. The target audience are mostly men or lesbians, but it is much less popular than Yaoi.
  • Pornography for women: a new subgenre targeting women, portraying "eromen" (erotic men) who cater to women's needs.

Genres

  • Bukkake
  • Cuckold
  • Futanari
  • Gokkun
  • Group sex
  • Gang bang
  • Hamedori
  • Interracial
  • Japanese bondage
  • Gay
  • Lesbian
  • Lotion play
  • Sexual fetishism
  • Foot fetishism
  • Exhibitionism
  • Tamakeri
  • Voyeurism

Companies and people

Magazines

  • Bejean (GOT Corp.)—big seller
  • Weekly Playboy (Shueisha)—big seller
  • Urecco (Mirion Shuppan)
  • Video Boy (GOT Corp.)

Publishers

  • Core Magazine
  • Futabasha
  • Shinchosha
  • Wani Books
  • Wanimagazine

Studios

  • Alice Japan
  • Atlas21
  • Attackers
  • CineMagic Co.
  • Cross
  • Crystal-Eizou
  • Dogma
  • Glory Quest
  • h.m.p.
  • Hokuto Corporation
  • Hot Entertainment
  • IdeaPocket
  • Japan Home Video
  • KMP
  • Kuki Inc.
  • Madonna
  • Max-A
  • Million Film
  • Moodyz
  • Muteki
  • S1 No. 1 Style
  • SexiA
  • Tokyo Hot
  • Soft On Demand
  • Total Media Agency
  • V&R Planning—includes V&R Products & V&R International
  • Wanz Factory

Personalities

  • Ai Iijima
  • Bunko Kanazawa
  • Chocoball Mukai
  • Maria Ozawa
  • Sora Aoi
  • Yua Aida
  • Akiho Yoshizawa

See also

  • Chronology of adult videos in Japan
  • (エッチ)
  • Pornography in Europe
  • Pornography in the United States
  • Prostitution in Japan
  • Sexuality in Japan
  • Sex industry

Notes

References

Further reading

  • The current status of live-action Japanese pornography.
  • An overview of the Japanese pornographic film and video industry.
  • Anti-Pornography-&-Prostitution Research Group (APP-JP) (pro-censorship)