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Under no circumstances do you have to hand it to Hiroyuki. So it’s with some regret that I say that, when it comes to Japan’s New Adult Video (AV) Law, he may have a point.
The New AV Law wreaks havoc on Japan’s adult industry
Japan passed the New AV Law – or the AV出演被害防止・救済法 (AV shutsuen higai bōshi kyūsai hō) – in June 2022 to address very real violations at the margins of Japan’s adult film industry. Men who had enough money to buy a camera and rent a love hotel were bullying women into signing film contracts without reading them. When the women tried to fight back, the “producers” threatened them with lawsuits if they didn’t fulfill their commitments.
The law addresses these issues through a number of new regulations. The most onerous are that production of a new adult film can’t begin until one month after a contract has been signed, and the video itself can’t be released until four months after production. Producers must also supply performers with written copies of their contracts.
Part of the impetus for the change was the change to Japan’s age of adulthood laws. Previously, you weren’t an adult in Japan until you turned 20. That changed in 2022. This meant that 18-year-olds could sign legal contracts – including contracts to star in pornography.
There are signs that these regulations have, indeed, successfully protected some women from sexual abuse. However, it’s come at the cost of disrupting the entire industry. Working AV performers who star in porn consensually have complained since the law’s passage that it has hindered their livelihoods. And producers say it’s made production costs prohibitive.
The industry has fought for change. In 2023, 100 working porn stars took to the streets of Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza district to make their case. One of Japan’s most popular young politicians even attended a symposium on the issue in 2024.
Despite the lobbying, however, the law stands as written.
A stopped clock sounds off
If you’ve never heard of Hiroyuki…well, consider yourself blessed.