Evidently in response to the coercion scandals that have hit Japanese pornography recent, the Adult Video Human Rights Organization has proposed a new guideline for AV production and distribution companies allowing actresses to halt the sale of their films or use of footage of their videos after they have been on sale for five years.
The guideline will come into effect from April 1st, 2018 — not because it is April Fool’s Day but because April marks the start of the new fiscal year in Japan. There is no government or state pressure in regards to the guideline, so it is unsure how many, if any, companies will comply.
Naturally this is a rather nominal move for the performers involved, if they are genuinely concerned about their pasts catching up with them when they decide to retire from AV. The majority of AV releases sell relatively few DVDs and are actually withdrawn from the commercial market after a while, though they may still be listed on retailer websites. Only a few become long-running bestsellers. And then there are clips and images online as well as pirate versions floating around beyond the control of anyone. Quite what practical difference this guideline can make is debatable, though it might offer performers a stronger mental sense of security when considering their future.
As shown by the recent case of Sola Aoi, the most high-profile AV star in recent years, it is possible to build a successful career after leaving porn and even find marital happiness with someone outside the industry.
In an effort to increase transparency between producers and performers, letters of intent and other related documents for performer contracts will also now be stored by AVAN, the new AV performer rights’ group formed by former porn actress Mariko Kawana.
