, a 33-year-old YouTuber who lives near Tokyo, used to dream of becoming a singer. A decade ago, a man approached her on the street and asked her to be a swimsuit model. He also offered to pay for singing classes and help her succeed in the entertainment business. After some cajoling, she agreed. On the day of the photo shoot, she was coaxed into getting naked. She ended up appearing in several porn videos. Beset by feelings of shame and fear, Ms Kurumin later thought of suicide.
Abuse in Japan’s porn industry had long been a concern. In 2020 a government survey suggested that one in four women under 40 had been accosted on the streets about supposed modelling gigs. Of those who agreed, 14% were asked to perform sex acts. The hasty passage of the bill also caused confusion about its contents. A survey last year found that more than half of porn actors had seen job offers and income fall after its passage. Actors and producers have criticised various provisions in the law as unrealistic. These include forbidding filming for a month after contracts are signed, and banning the release of videos for four months after they are shot.
It was not the first time the industry had taken measures to forestall legal scrutiny. Genitals are blurred out in Japanese porn videos, a measure initially intended to dodge obscenity laws. It has become a requirement of certified porn producers.