This story has been percolating since early June and has now become a very interesting incident generating national headlines, and with potential implications for future gravure events.
Swimwear photo shoot events in public pools in Saitama have ignited an intense debate. During the events, idols and models gather at the pool for fans to take photographs of them in their swimsuits. Admission to such events is expensive, costing from ¥10,000 to ¥36,000.
Various locals voiced concern to the public parks association in late May about the sexy nature of the gravure-style poses. Local Japanese Communist Party politicians lodged a complaint on June 8 that such events were in breach of prefectural ordinances.
The controversy centered on the fact the events use a public facility for commercial activities, not to mention the “moral” issue of the “indecent” poses and clothing that commodifies sex in an area where families are present. Underage girls are also allowed to participate in the events (both gravure and music idols also tend to start their careers long before they are legal adults).
Many netizens initially mocked the JCP for being prigs, but the story gained traction. The mainstream and social media attention this generated then resulted in panic.
The Saitama public park association did some online research and claimed that two groups planning to participate were indeed guilty of “extreme poses” in the past. The association requested six swimwear photography events planned for Saitama parks be called off on June 8.
The event planned for Shirakobato Aquatic Park in Koshigaya on June 10 was dutifully canceled by organizers two days before it was meant to be held, as were two others planned for Kawagoe Aquatic Park on June 10 and June 11, respectively, and another for Shirakobato Aquatic Park on June 24 and June 25 (which was touted by organizers as the “largest swimwear festival in Japan”).
Three other swimsuit photo events planned for Saitama public parks in June were canceled.
Saitama, located just to the north of Tokyo, is often mocked as one of the least interesting prefectures in the land, but is now in the eye of the (media) storm.
The fallout has seen commentators on TV giving their five yen’s worth and follow-up news stories appearing almost daily.
The governor of Saitama has weighed in, saying that the government can’t interfere with photography events because it would violate freedom of speech, but also noted that such events shouldn’t be held with ambiguous rules, calling for shared guidelines for all such events where permission is given for water parks and public pools to host photography events.
He also called on the public park association’s to belatedly withdraw their official request that the events be canceled, which they did and apologized to the organizers.
Meanwhile, those who were planning to participate the events are aggrieved and making this known, like the idol group 2o Love to Sweet Bullet, whose member Mihoko Yamahiro is aggrieved on behalf of fans who were looking forward to seeing the idols.
The former gravure idol and current porn star Miyu Inamori (pictured above), who was planning to participate in one of the events, has questioned why they are suddenly regarded as impermissible after taking place many times over the past few years. Inamori is no stranger to provocative poses at public photo events, to the delight of her many fans!
The vendors who had prepared food for selling at the event may sue the organizers for their lost profits.
Over 150 people lost employment due to the events being canceled, including idols, their support teams, and venue staff.
Such photography events are a common part of the long, hot Japanese summer, but we imagine organizers and park operators will be spooked by the controversy. Saitama public parks have hosted about 120 swimsuit photo shoots in total since 2018, but is this the end of them?
