educational

Working the Asian Market: 1

Any casual look into recent adult entertainment sales figures will show that there's a hefty market for Asian models. This has been a lure for many companies to produce movies in Asia, but some of them have learned a hard lesson.

The nectar of that blossom covers some sharp thorns.

In the past, the low costs of production in South America made importing product from there an almost sure moneymaker. In many ways, producing and importing product from Asia is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

While a number of companies have jumped into the Asian niche, producing movies in such exotic places as Thailand and the Philippines, they're finding that cultural conditions in those lands are jacking up their production budgets. And nowhere in Asia is this more prevalent than in Japan. Frank Goldfisher, general manager of Third World Media, tells XBIZ: "It's absolutely insane because the girls in Japan get a heck of a lot more money. They get 750,000 yen, which comes out to $7,000-$8,000 per day, American. We've had to come up with some pretty creative accounting and some pretty creative use of the footage to make a profit off it."

The impetus behind these costly performer fees lies in the Japanese system of "modeling agencies," which have a stranglehold on that part of the business.

"In Japan, there are no contract-free models," Jonathan Chang, sales manager for Amorz Entertainment, said. "Every model is under contract to a model agency, so there is another fee we have to pay. It's very similar to a Mafia-type thing. These agencies own the girls, and if you try to go around them, they'll tell all the agencies not to do business with you."

Chang, whose company produces Asian product exclusively in Japan (Amorz Entertainment's most popular series is "Kokeshi"), adds that the high performer fees are just the tip of the iceberg.

Cultural Difficulties
"The culture in Japan is very different," Chang tells XBIZ, "and in order to work there, we had to understand their culture. A lot of the ideas they came up with sounded kind of crazy to us, so it definitely was difficult for us. Like the money system they set up for us. We would make a very high down payment just to be allowed to start the movie shoot. There were also royalties we had to pay. That doesn't exist here."

What also doesn't exist here are the stringent Japanese censorship laws. The authorities there use a "mosaic" system — a video pixilation which obliterates on-screen images that are deemed hardcore or objectionable — on all domestically released adult material. This has caused a lot of headaches for outfits shooting in Japan, like Amorz Entertainment.

"When we first started producing there," Chang says, "we made one version for the Japanese market — with the mosaic — and another version for the American market, un-mosaic. That didn't work out well because we wanted extreme close-ups for the uncensored version, which we couldn't use for the mosaic version. So when we released the two versions, the mosaic version for Japan was unpopular because the close-ups were censored. But since the ones we sold in America were uncensored, sometimes people would send them back to Japan because there's a giant underground market there for the uncensored material. But when the government finds out that uncensored movies are going around, they start looking for our director. So sometimes, our director has legal problems there. They're very tough. If you ship uncensored material to Japan, customs just throws it away."

Although companies like Third World Media have gone to great pains to toe the line in Japan and in other Asian nations, the cultural peculiarities of each land have led to some serious trouble.

In part two, we'll look at legal problems over shooting in Asia as well as the issue of age verification.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

WIA Profile: Lainie Speiser

With her fiery red hair, thick-framed glasses and a laugh that practically hugs you, Lainie Speiser is impossible to miss. Having repped some of adult’s biggest stars during her 30-plus years in the business, the veteran publicist is also a treasure trove of tales dating back to the days when print was king and social media not even a glimmer in the industry’s eye.

Women in Adult ·
opinion

Fighting Back Against AI-Fueled Fake Takedown Notices

The digital landscape is increasingly being shaped by artificial intelligence, and while AI offers immense potential, it’s also being weaponized. One disturbing trend that directly impacts adult businesses is AI-powered “DMCA takedown services” generating a flood of fraudulent Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Building Seamless Checkout Flows for High-Risk Merchants

For high-risk merchants such as adult businesses, crypto payments are no longer just a backup plan — they’re fast becoming a first choice. More and more businesses are embracing Bitcoin and other digital currencies for consumer transactions.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

What the New SCOTUS Ruling Means for AV Laws and Free Speech

On June 27, 2025, the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, upholding Texas’ age verification law in the face of a constitutional challenge and setting a new precedent that bolsters similar laws around the country.

Lawrence G. Walters ·
opinion

What You Need to Know Before Relocating Your Adult Business Abroad

Over the last several months, a noticeable trend has emerged: several of our U.S.-based merchants have decided to “pick up shop” and relocate to European countries. On the surface, this sounds idyllic. I imagine some of my favorite clients sipping coffee or wine at sidewalk cafés, embracing a slower pace of life.

Cathy Beardsley ·
profile

Andi Avalon Talks Wifey Life and the Joys of Suburban Chaos

Fans crave authenticity. For most adult content creators, this has become gospel. Everybody is looking for “the real deal” — and as it happens, you can’t get much more real than MILF creator-performer Andi Avalon.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

WIA Profile: Salima

When Salima first entered the adult space in her mid-20s, becoming a power player wasn’t even on her radar. She was simply looking to learn. Over the years, however, her instinct for strategy, trust in her teams and commitment to creator-first innovation led her from the trade show floor to the executive suite.

Women in Adult ·
opinion

How the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act Could Impact Adult Businesses

Congress is considering a bill that would change the well-settled definition of obscenity and create extensive new risks for the adult industry. The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, makes a mockery of the First Amendment and should be roundly rejected.

Lawrence G. Walters ·
opinion

What US Sites Need to Know About UK's Online Safety Act

In a high-risk space like the adult industry, overlooking or ignoring ever-changing rules and regulations can cost you dearly. In the United Kingdom, significant change has now arrived in the form of the Online Safety Act — and failure to comply with its requirements could cost merchants millions of dollars in fines.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Understanding the MATCH List and How to Avoid Getting Blacklisted

Business is booming, sales are steady and your customer base is growing. Everything seems to be running smoothly — until suddenly, Stripe pulls the plug. With one cold, automated email, your payment processing is shut down. No warning, no explanation.

Jonathan Corona ·
Show More