Market size of Japanese sexual image and adult video businesses FY 2015-2019

The value of the non-contact self-pleasure market in Japan was estimated to reach approximately 106 billion Japanese yen in fiscal year 2019, up from about 101 billion yen in the fiscal year 2015. The Japanese non-contact self-pleasure market refers to the consumption of erotic images and videos, such as print or video pornography.

 The Japanese porn industry: development and legalities

The number of Japanese adult video (JAV for short) related businesses has remained stable throughout recent years, including a variety of video chat platforms, pornographic websites, and television channels. Modern JAVs were preceded by soft-core pornographic productions dubbed pink films, which first gained popularity in 1960s-Japan. As movie theaters saw a decline in attendance amid the rising popularity of television, major production companies such as Nikkatsu began to enter the more lucrative pink film market, which had been mostly independent hitherto.
Since its implementation in 1907, Article 175 of the Japanese Penal Code has remained the main legal base regulating the Japanese pornographic industry. While the article deems the distribution, sale, or public display of obscenity punishable by short-term prison sentences or fines, the vagueness of the term obscenity has since led to inconsistencies in court decisions and numerous legal loopholes. Commonly, the act is interpreted in a way that genitals and sexual intercourse are being censored or blurred in Japanese print and digital pornography. Nonetheless, approximately two thousand people face arrests for public indecency and obscenity offenses per year.

 Current market situation

Video-based services such as JAV are among the largest groups of sex-related businesses in Japan. In past years, their popularity has even yielded conventions such as the Japan Adult Expo, where adult video production companies promote their latest releases and generate additional revenue through VR experiences, merchandise, and paid-for interactions with AV performers. Consequently, the number of online shopping sites for adult videos has not been subject to major fluctuations in past years. Apart from JAV, the Japanese porn industry also boasts a variety of print media, including magazines, manga, anime, and erotic video games.