TOKYO — Ai Iijima had precious little idea what speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan entailed, or what the FCC was for that matter.
But finding out she'd be on equal footing with personages like Prime Minster Junichiro Koizumi, soccer legend Diego Maradona and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, she proudly claimed her appearance recently as "revolutionary," while jokingly asking the crowd if there was anyone against her being the invited speaker on the night.
The former porn star, now a TV "talent," showed up in a clean-cut, charcoal gray suit with an elegant, rose brooch pinned to her bosom — a far cry from how she dressed back in 1992, when as a rebellious 20-year-old, she made her first adult movie, following stints working in karaoke joints, snack bars and Ginza hostess clubs.
"I hated my parents, to the point where I would rather be coached by bums to sleep in parks wrapped in newspaper blankets," says Iijima, whose real name is Mitsuko Ishii. In the end, she predictably ran away, found it hard to make ends meet, and set foot in the porn industry with an "oh well, why not" attitude, her eyes blinded by yen symbols.
"Nowadays though, guys earn a lot more than girls," she claims, pinpointing the deceitful trends where scouts lure young girls to disrobe with little reward, promising they'd only be seen on the Internet. "These girls have no idea how far-reaching the web is."
Given her illicit past, her comments naturally convey a touch of feminism. "Viagra was approved by legislature in less than a year, while the pill took a long, long time to come about. How unfair, you oyajis!" mocked the 32-year-old, whose "autobiographical" fiction novel "Platonic Sex" has sold over a million copies and has been translated into Korean, Taiwanese and Italian, with an English version coming soon.
But while talking tough against male lawmakers, she's been far-removed from politics, only paying attention to widely publicized scandals such as those involving disgraced Hokkaido politician Muneo Suzuki and former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.
"If I ever become a politician, that would spell the end of Japan," joked Iijima, who once had dinner with then Health and Welfare Minister Junichiro Koizumi. On that occasion, the current prime minister entertained her with tales on fornication between dragonflies.
Trying to shed her past image, Iijima skillfully dodged questions that were "below the belt," while touching upon issues like sex education, the narrowness of information outlets in Japan and the fate of pubescent schoolgirls about to follow in her footsteps, something she's not too worried about.
"Kids aren't fragile things that need protection," the ex-porn star said, "they're actually pretty smart." As for herself, Iijima believes in carpe diem. "If today brings laughter, I'm more than happy. And if I try looking 10 years ahead to what I'll be doing, I'll lose track of tomorrow."
November 18, 2004
From AV to TV, Ai Iijima faces the final curtain after doing it 'her way'
Ai Iijima, a gutsy woman who grappled her way out of the porno world to become a multi-talented and much respected performer, has announced she will retire from showbiz at the tender age of 34, according to Shukan Gendai (3/17).
The gaudy, heavily made-up Iijima certainly had her detractors, but her climb from stick flick slapper to actress, best-selling author and social commentator was a notable one that saw her garner friends across a wide spectrum.
But Iijima now looks likely to spend the rest of March saying good-bye as she draws a close to one of the more remarkable careers in the cutthroat Japanese entertainment world.
"She went to ask for help from a producer at TBS, saying that she was as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore," a TBS insider tells Shukan Gendai.
Iijima found her way into the world of adult movies in 1992 and quickly became an AV star. She then was given a position as a hostess on the legendary late night TV program "Gilgamesh Night." Her main claim to fame at the time was lifting up her skirt, thrusting out her buttocks and flashing her "T-back," the Japanese term for what's known normally as a G-string or thong. It wasn't long before she was known as the "T-Back Queen."
Iijima brought out her debut single in 1993 and started showing up on mainstream variety programs during the same year. It wasn't long before respectability came about and Ai turned into a TV regular.
When Iijima turned 28 in 2000, she released "Platonic Sex," an autobiography later made into a movie, which told sordid tales of her experience in prostitution and adult movies. "Platonic Sex" was a mega-hit, selling 1.7 million copies and turning Iijima's trademark phrase "watashi teki ni" (my way) into one of the words of the year.
Iijima's career progressed smoothly and she gained a regular position on a number of TV shows. In fact, there was barely a glitch in what had once been a the maelstrom of Iijima's life until last year drew to a close and Ai suddenly took a couple of weeks off from her role as a panelist on the Sunday morning variety show, "Sunday Japon."
Iijima wrote on her blog that she'd fallen ill with an inflammation of the renal pelvis. She also fell victim to an embezzler at her talent agency, who siphoned off about 100 million yen of her earnings and used it to lavish presents on a foreign woman.
"Since the start of the year, Ai has been feeling a bit down, with her health not good and the embezzlement case dragging on and all. She'd lost her ability to trust others and was whining a lot," a pal of Ai's tells Shukan Gendai. "She was in showbiz, but was always forced to carry the stigma of having been a porno actress. It apparently weighed heavily on her. And if all her own troubles weren't enough, she also had her mother's worries to think about."
The pal continues: "At first glance, Ai looks like the really rough around the edges, but she's actually really sensitive, and she always thinks of others in ways like giving them little presents. She's that type, so the life of a showbiz personality where you're constantly in the spotlight probably just became a bit too much for her. She's apparently been going around asking people for advice on the future after going out a few times with a fairly well known figure in the IT business."
Iijima's handlers admit -- in the same straight-forward manner that she's famous for -- that their client is about to pull the plug.
"She is certainly working across the board with the intent to retire at the end of March," a spokesman from Watanabe Entertainment, Iijima's talent agency, tells the weekly. "But we still haven't talked directly to her."
It doesn't take Gendai long to track down Iijima and they have the following, slightly terse written exchange:
Shukan Gendai: So, you're apparently going to retire from showbiz at the end of March. Why?Ai Iijima: I've got inflammation of the renal pelvis -- I feel sick.SG: What was your fondest memory of showbiz?AI: What are you asking me that for? I suppose it was the chance to make so many friends.SG: Going on to your future, what about marriage plans?AI: There aren't any.SG: What are you going to do?AI: I've barely thought of it so far. I guess I'll have to think about that from now on. (By Ryann Connell)
March 9, 2007