Contract-Based Sexual Labor in Japan’s Adult Video Industry

Presented by Akiko Takeyama, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, University of Kansas.

Increasing numbers of young Japanese women allegedly volunteer to perform in pornography; and yet, the numbers of women, who seek legal support for their forced performance, have been also increasing. Despite the tension, there is neither a clearly designated administrative office nor regulation beyond legal clauses of obscenity and child protection from sexual commerce. Virtually no labor union or advocacy group exists, either. Only recently has the industry drawn greater public attention as a result of media coverage, legal court cases, and the Japanese cabinet office’s call for a systematic investigation.

Based on my ethnographic fieldwork, this presentation explores the tension between consent and coercion in the making of adult entertainment videos. What does it mean for these women to be recruited to perform in adult videos? What do they commodify and how do they withhold themselves as free individuals? This presentation will shed light on the intersection of gender, labor, and subjectivity in the age of the internet.