Yes, there have been more actresses retiring recently, but a bigger crisis for the industry is that some actresses have been confirmed to be infected with HIV. Although the infected actresses have already retired urgently, and although the industry claims that no one has been infected, this has not only caused male actors to criticize and question why such a thing wasn't said sooner, but it has also further damaged the image of the AV industry after the forced filming of actresses. One agent said that the news of actresses being infected with HIV has probably made many actresses who were still undecided about retiring determined to quit.
So, what to do now?
The news of the actress contracting HIV immediately exposed a loophole in the industry's health checks: It's well known that the AV industry requires actresses to undergo monthly STI screenings, both to protect themselves and their male co-stars. However, everyone knows that the actress who contracted HIV debuted this year and has already filmed 12 movies. Given the human rights association's description of her status, it's highly unlikely she could have completed so many films in just one month. So what does this tell us? The answer is that this actress didn't follow the regulations for testing, and she was allowed to film directly on set!
This is the problem!
As the saying goes, it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. To prevent a recurrence of actresses contracting HIV, agencies have recently been requiring their actresses to undergo STI screenings. Production companies are also strictly requiring directors to provide health check reports from within the past month before filming. For films involving actual intercourse (which actually exist!), the rules are even stricter: both actors must provide health check reports from within the past week, or filming will be cancelled.
So, what happened after the health checks?
As expected, several actresses were found to be infected with STIs. This is not unusual, as most actresses come from the sex industry, where poor hygiene or clients insisting on not using condoms makes them highly susceptible to infection. The agencies whose actresses contracted HIV are currently under further investigation by relevant authorities. Rumors suggest that if found guilty of serious negligence, the agency could face closure!
So, those who follow industry news should pay close attention; you might be able to guess who's infected with HIV!
Image: Hikaru Konno (unrelated to the incident)
