Japanese political bigwig Ichiro Ozawa said Wednesday that the United States is a great democracy but its people are somewhat simple-minded. During a political seminar he organized in Tokyo, the former secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan said, ‘‘I like Americans, but I don’t think they are that savvy.”
But he added: ‘‘I extremely highly evaluate democracy (in the United States) and the fact that the choices made by its people in crises have been put into practice.’‘
The 68-year-old politician, often described as a kingpin in backroom politics, also touched on the election of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States, something he once thought would be ‘‘impossible.’’
TOKYO — http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment-arts/view/japanese-porn-stars-fight-aids-with-24-hour-telethon
Very few company presidents could sit in a conference room and casually explain why they’re about to allow the general public to enter their corporate headquarters and fondle the breasts of female staff for a modest donation to charity. Yet Tsuyoshi Shiba, chief of provocative porn channel Paradise TV, is one of them.
“By simply broadcasting our programs, that is one way to interact with society,” says the soft-spoken 60-year-old from beneath a billowing mane of dark hair. “But we wanted a more direct interaction with our viewers so that we can better distinguish ourselves.”
The use of “direct” might be the understatement of the year.
This weekend, viewers are invited to the Shinjuku studio of Paradise TV to grasp the exposed chests of five female staffers who anchor the channel’s naked news programs (yes, the segments are exactly as revealing as that description implies). The suggested donation of 1,000 yen will be used to help prevent the spread of AIDS, a crisis that continues to worsen in Japan.
Now in its eighth year, the “24-Hour TV: Eroticism Saves the Earth telethon,” broadcast live on satellite provider Sky PerfecTV!, raises around 2 million yen annually. But the numerical figure is not important, Shiba says; the show is about the message. “When we started, AIDS was still being widely discussed. However, the issue began to slowly fade from view. So I’ve felt that this drive must continue in the hope that awareness of the problem will not be lost.”
Other events aimed at getting viewers to tune in include a “strip” mahjong exhibition, where porn actresses compete and slowly disrobe as the game progresses, and a masturbation “relay,” which involves multiple actresses manually stimulating themselves. Viewers will be able to watch the proceedings uninterrupted on the Paradise TV website and for shorter periods on the regular live telecast.
Many of the garments worn by the female participants will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. During past telethons, it’s not been unusual for the bras and underpants of popular actresses to fetch upwards of 50,000 yen, with perhaps a signed DVD or poster thrown in for good measure.
Humor, too, is part of the attraction. In true Paradise TV fashion, the girls baring their bosoms are known as OKB24, a reference to mega-selling idol group AKB48. “OKB” is short for “oppai monde kansha kangeki bokin shite kurete arigato,” roughly “donate and take a satisfying breast squeeze.” Likewise, the “Eroticism Saves the Earth” moniker takes a shot at Nippon Television’s simultaneous telethon “Love Saves the Earth,” a 30-year-old, celebrity-filled event that annually raises about 1 billion yen for causes related to the environment.
Some people might argue that, given the seriousness of the AIDS crisis, such frivolity is in bad taste. But Paradise TV, which has made its name by broadcasting erotic shows featuring bathroom peeping, lactating mothers and women who engage in frequent extramarital affairs, sees it as the only way. “Our viewers expect a comedic approach from us,” explains Shiba. “We can’t change that. This is our way of allowing for the issue to be discussed.”
Yet should the entertainment element overshadow the message, guests arriving at the studio will see no shortage of the campaign’s graphic, created by artist Tetsuya Koshiba and found on pink T-shirts and posters. It shows a curvy, long-haired girl waving a wrapped condom above the exclamation “Stop! AIDS.” Boxes of condoms and bracelets carrying prevention mottos will be readily available for distribution as well.
No. of AIDS cases in Japan steadily increasing
Over the last decade and a half, the number of reported HIV infections and AIDS cases in Japan has been steadily increasing. Although the health ministry reported that new cases of HIV and AIDS in 2009 (1,021 and 431, respectively) had actually fallen compared to 2008, the figures are misleading, according to the Japan Foundation for AIDS Prevention (JFAP), which supports the Paradise TV drive.
Yasushi Sawazaki, director of the JFAP’s program operation section, says that the outbreak of H1N1—aka “swine flu”—drained the resources of many health centers around the country last summer, when HIV-testing campaigns are typically held. “The reported number of new detections was reduced,” Sawazaki says from the foundation’s offices in Chiyoda Ward. “But that doesn’t mean that there’s been a real decline.”
For its part, Paradise TV requires actors to wear condoms during regular filming—even if that means losing some of the spontaneity for which the channel is known. “It’s a must,” says Shiba.
The JFAP spends much of its resources in the gay community. Last year, a majority of new HIV infections were the result of men having sex with men. Community Center Akta, which opened in 2004 through funding from the JFAP, is a drop-in office that provides safe-sex advice in the Shinjuku Ni-chome neighborhood.
Shiba admits that the gay population is not a target audience for Paradise TV, but argues that a broader perspective is best. “Some people get HIV from a blood transfusion,” he says. “It is also possible for a baby in the uterus to be infected by a mother who has HIV. So we don’t want to target any single population. Instead, we are looking at the whole picture.”
Shiba would like to continue with the event at least until it reaches its tenth year. After that, he’s not certain of the direction, only maintaining that expectations are high. “We wanted to make a connection, to transcend simple broadcasting with this event, and we have done that,” he says. “That was phase one. Our next mission is to cultivate something that will provide a similarly big jump.”
Sky PerfecTV! (channel 913) will broadcast “24-Hour TV: Eroticism Saves the Earth” from 7 p.m. on Aug 28 until 8 p.m. on Aug 29. “Boob Donation Time” takes place 6 p.m.-3 a.m. on the 28th and 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. on the 29th. The Paradise TV offices are located at 5-12-4 Shinjuku.
This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).
