Japanese AV

In Japan, it is illegal for any films or videos to display the penis and vagina explicitly for commercial purpose. Published materials depicting the penis or vagina are prohibited from sale to people under the age of 18 and must be shrink-wrapped. However, adult videos (AV) depicting explicit sex scenes with the participants’ sex organs blurred by mosaics are acceptable.

The cultural difference between the censorship in Japan and other countries has been noticeable. Scenes depicting sadism (SM), rape and gang rape are not considered obscene, despite continuing criticism from human rights' groups. Due to international pressure, controls over child pornography have been tightened. In recent years there has been a growing trend in the AV market towards the use of thin mosaics. As a result, the degradation of women has increased because of the lessening censorship in Japan.

Matsushima Kaede (松島楓) is an actress in Japan's legal AV industry, while Asakawa Ran (朝河蘭) has performed in underground pornographic videos available to overseas customers only. Underground pornography ignores the censorship requirements and has become popular through the internet. To prevent adult materials from illegally transmitting to places outside Japan, several AV makers have banned accesses from non-Japanese IP addresses.