First Criminal Referral Under the New AV Law
On January 18, 2023, the Consumer Affairs Agency announced that it had made the first criminal referral since the Law to Prevent and Remedy Harm From AV Appearances (which took effect in June 2022) came into force. The referral targeted a video production company in Tokyo that allegedly refused a performer's request for cooling-off, demanded a penalty fee, and then forced filming to proceed.
Details of the Case
The victim, a 22-year-old woman, requested cooling-off about three months after the appearance contract, but the production company demanded a 300,000-yen penalty fee on the grounds that "costs such as filming equipment have already been incurred." It further threatened her by saying it would "leak the video online if she backed out now" and made her continue filming.
The new law guarantees unconditional cancellation within the cooling-off period (four months from the contract), and demanding a penalty fee constitutes a clear violation of the law.
Significance of the First Referral
Support groups praised the move, saying, "This is the criminal referral we have long awaited. We hope it serves as a warning to malicious operators." At the same time, there are voices noting that "a single referral is insufficient as a deterrent. Continuous and proactive law enforcement is needed."
This article is compiled based on publicly available information.