"Sexual Acts in Evacuation Shelters"... Japanese Adult Film Faces Backlash Ahead of Earthquake's 15th Anniversary

Evacuation Shelter Setting Sparks Controversy on SNS
Reports of Sexual Violence During the Actual Great East Japan Earthquake

As the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake approaches, controversy is growing in Japan over the release of an adult video set in a disaster-stricken area reminiscent of the affected regions.

On March 8, Japanese media outlets, including Josei Jishin, reported that a work distributed since last year by the adult content production company Soft On Demand (SOD) has recently come under criticism as it spreads through social networking services (SNS).

The work reportedly depicts a female relief worker dispatched to a disaster area who ends up engaging in sexual acts with men while living in an evacuation shelter. The video package is said to feature settings reminiscent of a school gymnasium used as a shelter during disasters, as well as temporary partitions made of cardboard.

The day after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, partitions were installed in the evacuation shelters. Photo by Yonhap News

Reviews on the adult site where the video is sold have criticized the use of an evacuation shelter setting as inappropriate. The controversy has intensified, especially since the beginning of this month, as the content has been shared on X (formerly Twitter), with the anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake approaching.

Some users have criticized the work, stating that "since sexual violence has actually occurred during disaster situations, such settings are problematic," and calling it "content that sexually exploits affected regions." Additional criticism has pointed out that "creating sexual fantasies based on disasters is inappropriate."

In fact, there have been multiple reports of sexual violence during disasters in Japan. According to a report published in 2013 by the Great East Japan Earthquake Women's Support Network, among data collected from distributing 900 survey forms since October 2011, 82 cases of violence against women and children were identified. Of these, there were 10 cases of forced non-consensual sexual acts such as rape or attempted rape, and 19 cases of molestation or sexual exploitation.

Furthermore, the locations where violence occurred included 19 cases in evacuation shelters and 5 cases in temporary housing facilities. Some victim accounts included testimonies of experiencing sexual threats, such as men entering their blankets at night in evacuation shelters.

In connection with this controversy, local media have requested comments from the production company to clarify its position.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.