Forced into porn: Japan moves to stop women being coerced into sex films
But months later, the 26-year-old became one of an alarming number of Japanese women who say they have been forced into appearing in pornographic films by unscrupulous, and unregulated, production companies.
Then in her final year at university, Aroma agreed to attend a follow-up interview, where the president of an entertainment production company presented her with a contract that indicated she would be required to remove her clothes for a photo shoot.
“That was the first I’d heard about nudity,” she said. “I cried, but felt under a lot pressure to say yes, so I agreed.”
Over the following months, the agency raised the possibility of making a pornographic video, summoning her several times to the firm’s office for meetings. Faced with repeated demands from as many as eight male staff, she eventually capitulated.
“They told me I could stop at any time if I felt uncomfortable or if it hurt. But that wasn’t true,” she said.
University student. Had months to back out if she wished.
From January to November 2016, 148 women sought help from Lighthouse, which supports victims of human trafficking, and People Against Pornography and Sexual Violence – a dramatic rise from the 83 cases recorded for the whole of 2015 and just 29 the year before.
I think we’re using slightly odd meanings of “coercion”, “trafficking” and so on, aren’t we?
In one high-profile case that resulted in the arrests of three talent scouts, one woman was forced to appear in more than 100 films after being told her family would be informed if she refused. Some victims say they were forced to have sex without protection, or were gang-raped.
Blackmail and rape are serious crimes. Hang the bastards.
“The incredible thing is that production firms can act with impunity,” Ito said. “There is no law against coercing women into appearing in porn films, and no government supervision of the industry. But this isn’t just a legal issue, it’s a violation of human rights.”
It’s legal to have sex in front of a camera. For adults at least it is. And we do indeed have to let adults make their own decisions. Otherwise they’re not actually adults, are they?
I do hear ya, in general. And I agree for the most part. But…
You need to take into account that even mainstream Japanese porn would count as torture porn over here. It’s really hard to find something Japanese that wouldn’t count as that by Western mores. Cultural.
Very much a socially cohesive/groupthink culture in which defying the will of a group, pressure to conform, esp with the gender differences etc. Not quite the same as what we’re used to.
So, in general, I’d agree with your basic point. In Japan, there are cultural factors that could make this a real and valid problem.
As Jorb says, the forced element is very much a theme of Japanese porn films. As is the woman looking about 12 and being dressed as a schoolgirl. Cultural, like the man said.
Adults making their own decisions belongs sadly to a previous era.
“There is no law against coercing women into appearing in porn films,…”
Oh there are. I’m very sorry but there are; in Japan, here in the UK.
“Adults making their own decisions belongs sadly to a previous era.”
Unless the ‘decisions’ are PC, of course: then the adults are exercising their autonomy. Even children can make ‘decisions’ about their gender.
Ironman, who are you quoting? Not Tim.
Ignore that – seen it.
Some interfering busybody has complained. The Japanese have promised to get right on it. Happens here all the time. Don’t hold your breath.
>“That was the first I’d heard about nudity,” she said. “I cried, but felt under a lot pressure to say yes, so I agreed.”
You hear this from Western actresses too. But the pressure is mostly coming from their desire to be a movie star. They can easily just say no. But they want to be a movie star, so they end up saying yes.
Surely there’s an awful lot of social pressure in just about every culture which militates against women becoming porn actresses …
If the Mafia summoned me to a meeting about making a porn movie they’d need a gun to make me go. Being told to go would be insufficient.
I suspect some actual coercion was involved, or the lady is a putz.
From what I’m told (by the Russian ex-porn star who was sunbathing in the garden whilst her daughter was playing in the pool, at the weekend) in the West, at least, there’s no shortage of girls aspire to do porn movies for money. (Maybe why she’s out of the industry?) What there is, is a shortage of is porn film producers can reliably produce them an income. But no shortage, at all, of advertisers promising them they can. What their motives are I will leave to your ever fertile imaginations.
BiS,
Hardly surprised porn producers can’t make money: there’s plenty of free amateur and semi-amateur stuff about.
Quite, Tim. And from the land of the neon chrysanthemum, there’s a lot of cosplay pr0n shot by devotees of the pursuit, around. Most of which revolves around supposedly nubile women subjected to supposedly forced sex.
My suspicion’s this is yet another story based on the presumption of a market shortage, in truth is a market oversupply.
What twaddle.
Coercion might include being beaten, drugged, threatened with death or mutilation or agony. Or having those done to your loved ones.
“We really think you should” is not coercion.
It is also time that “group cohesion” stopped being an excuse for moral cowardice Japan or not.
I’ve just Googled and there’s something fishy about this story.
She said this was 4years ago. She’s been doing YouTube stuff since 2013. And I can find no porn with that name. And I’m pretty sure that a YouTuber with lots of followers would get links to the porn they were in from various places.
The whole ‘scout’ thing sounds completely false too. Porn stars aren’t scouted. That would be fantastically wasteful as most women don’t do it. Porn stars knock on doors to do nude modelling, then escalate.
Richard, Polly, Diane, and Margaret were only to happy to get porking for me
In the eyes of the law, a person becomes an adult at the age of 18. However, neurologists might disagree and put it closer to 25.
If it is the case that people’s decision making functions are not fully developed for another 7 years after legal adulthood, then maybe that should have some implications certain types of contracts where they may be discounting or not fully considering the moral/spiritual implications of their decision.