After they retire, most JAV porn stars disappear into obscurity, though a prominent handful have remained in the public eye in other roles, such as writers and photographers.
Yua Mikami is pursuing a career in modeling and apparel, though has faced some criticism over her association with other brands, and former adult video star Minami Aizawa recently announced she would no longer use her performer name in her post-JAV career.
Among the many things that porn stars have expertise at, understanding about hygiene, physical health, and STDs and STIs surely ranks near the top.
As regular readers will know, Japan is in the grip of a serious sexual health crisis, with the numbers of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and especially syphilis infections increasing year by year due to the spread of dating apps that have made hookups easier and the general reluctance locally to use condoms.
As recently featured in the tabloid Spa!, the former porn star Hiyori Yoshioka now works at a clinic that specializes in treating people with sexually transmitted diseases and infections.
Yoshioka made her AV debut in 2019 for S1 and her career developed well, with many releases following and a photo book in 2020. She retired in late 2022.
She currently works at Shinjuku Fast Clinic, handling PR and business. The clinic offers same-day results, hence the name.
In an interview with Spa!, Yoshioka shares that the JAV industry got serious about STI testing from around 2016.
When she was working in the industry, she would get tested once a month.
Yoshioka actually hoped to become a realtor after she retired from porn, but failed the exam by just two points, and then started working at the clinic.
She is now 25 years old and enjoying her new role as an ambassador for sexual health as Japan seeks to tackle its STIs and STDs crisis.
One issue, as highlighted in the interview, is that STIs are associated with JAV or prostitution, so many “regular” people don’t think they need to get tested.
“But actually,” Yoshioka notes, “they are something that involves everyone who has sex. Emphasizing that too much might have an adverse effect, though, which makes it hard to convey this to the public.”
Fast Clinic is currently building a new facility set to open near Shinjuku’s notorious Okubo Park, where women regularly gather to sell their bodies under the guise of compensated dating. The increase and young ages of women doing this has, fueled by social media interest, created something of a moral panic. The new facility will offer basic testing at a reduced price.
