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In Japan, a super-aged society, the 'silver adult film (pornography)' industry targeting the elderly is booming.
Contacted through employment agencies... Becoming a successful actress with the support of her daughters
On the 28th (local time), the British daily newspaper The Guardian reported that as the proportion of elderly people in Japan increases, the demand for adult films featuring elderly actors is also rising. It also shared actual cases of 'silver adult film' actors and insights from industry insiders.
Emi Toda (65) started working as an adult film actress in her late 50s. She has appeared in dozens of adult films to date. After her divorce, Toda made a living working as a funeral director and in supermarkets, but to increase her income, she sent her resume to an employment agency. There, she was contacted by an adult film production company. At first, she firmly declined, but the production company persuaded her, saying they thought she was perfect after seeing her resume photo. Surprisingly, her two adult daughters also supported her, which encouraged Toda to take the plunge.
After the three films she first appeared in became hits, offers to appear flooded in. Over the past seven years, she has worked with male actors ranging from 30 years younger than her to peers around 70 years old. Toda said, "In general Japanese society, women are almost considered to disappear once they reach 50, but this (silver adult films) was different. I liked that and thought, 'Why not?'" She explained, "Older people feel embarrassed to talk about sex. There is a belief that women lose interest in sex after reaching a certain age, but that is not true. I think my work has helped challenge that misunderstanding." She added, "I will continue acting as long as there are films that suit me."
There are actors in their 80s too... "The elderly have both sexual desire and purchasing power"
The Guardian pointed out that Japan's senior adult film market is one of the few business sectors centered on elderly women. Besides Toda, there are several cases of people entering the adult film industry in old age. Shigeo Tokuda, a star male actor in the silver adult film field, entered the industry in 1994 at age 59 and was recognized by the Guinness World Records (GWR) in 2017 at age 83 as the oldest adult film actor. Yuko Ogasawara, an 88-year-old woman, debuted in her early 80s, and Mao Tezuka specialized in the role of a 'kind grandmother' before retiring in 2017 at age 80.
The background for the growth of the senior adult film genre in Japan lies in the population structure that entered a super-aged society more than a decade ago. According to statistics on the elderly population released by the Japanese government on September 18 last year, on 'Respect for the Aged Day,' the proportion of people aged 80 and over exceeded 10% of the total population for the first time last year. The proportion of elderly people aged 65 and over reached a record high of 29.1%.
Takuma Kawabe, a producer at 'Ruby,' a production company specializing in adult films starring elderly women, said, "Currently, elderly consumers have both sexual desire and purchasing power." He analyzed, "Elderly people still buy many films on DVD," and "Since they have purchasing power, there is definitely a market for them." Kawabe pointed out, "Compared to people who were in their 60s when I was young, that is, my grandparents' generation, people in their 60s now are more sensitive in terms of beauty and sexual desire."
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