Ai Iijima — The Tragic Tale of the Porn Star Turned TV Celebrity | Spotlight

In this month’s Spotlight article, we are focusing on Ai Iijima, a former porn star, author, TV celebrity and AIDS activist who sadly passed away in December 1998, aged just 36. As well as the indelible mark Iijima left on both the adult and mainstream entertainment industries, she is probably best remembered for her semi-autobiographical novel, Platonic Sex, which sold over 1.7 million copies. In it, she was very candid about her time as a hostess and as an adult video (AV) actress. She was also open about her troubles during her teen years, including the time she was raped.  

Background  

Born Matsue Okubo on October 31, 1972, she rebranded as Ai Iijima in her teens. Her parents, according to her book, were very strict on her growing up. Despite doing well at elementary school, she felt nothing she did was ever enough and was always compared to others. “Even though I had given every ounce of effort,” she wrote, “I couldn’t win any praise, despite going all out. No matter how hard I pushed, I would never catch the other girl. I came to hate the word effort.”  

Feeling suffocated at home, an increasingly rebellious Iijima longed for an escape. Regularly skipping school, she stayed out all night and often frequented nightclubs. Her parents would sometimes have to pick her up from police stations, which led to house arrests and physical beatings by her father. Despite only being in her early teens, Iijima felt she could no longer stay at home. In the middle of the night, she climbed out a window while her parents slept and ran off to move in with the family of her first boyfriend.  

For a brief period, Iijima was content with life. Soon though, things started to get out of control again. Her boyfriend was a drug addict and to feed his habit she regularly stole for him. She stuck by him even after he beat her, but when he was sent to a drug rehabilitation center by his parents, Iijima was out on her own. With nowhere else to turn, she sought refuge with her boyfriend’s friend. Tragically, he introduced her to a group of boys who violently raped her after she’d had a few drinks.

From Hostess Bars and Porn to Mainstream Entertainment  

Returning home to explain what happened, she was beaten by her father before both parents disowned her (they would eventually reconcile years later). With no qualifications, she began working as a hostess, while making extra cash through enjo kosai (compensated dating, often involving sex). Despite earning a lot, more was going out than coming in. With debts mounting, she turned to porn in 1992 at the age of 19. Initially signing a three-month contract worth ¥10 million, she went on to feature in more than 100 AV films, establishing herself as one of the biggest names in the industry. 

The fact that Iijima also appeared on mainstream television no doubt boosted her popularity in the porn world. She became a regular on the Japanese variety show Gilgamesh Night, which attracted relatively high viewing ratings despite being aired on Sundays at 1:15am. The format was like most Japanese variety programs with interviews, comedy skits and cooking segments. The difference was that it often featured AV actresses wearing little or no clothing. Iijima, who became known as the “T-Back Queen” for lifting her skirt and flashing her G-string, was arguably the biggest star of the show.  

She was now a woman in demand and not just for erotic videos. With daytime shows calling, Iijima decided to quit the porn industry in her early-20s. She tried her hand at music and released a single titled “Naisho de Ai Ai,” made her silver-screen debut as an angel in the fantasy comedy flick Purupuru Tenshi-teki Kyujitsu, provided her story for the manga series Time Traveler Ai and added her voice for video games such as Magical Pop’n. Appearing on popular television shows such as London Hearts and Ken Shimamura’s Idiot Feudal Lord, she became a household name in Japan. 

Platonic Sex and AIDS Activism  

In 2000, Iijima shared her story with the world in the novel Platonic Sex. Praised for its candor, the book was translated into several languages, including Spanish, Italian, Korean and Chinese. It proved particularly popular in Taiwan, where Iijima had a large following from her AV days. In 2001, a four-part drama series and a movie based on the book were both released. The latter won the Popularity Award at the 25th Japan Academy film Prize, while lead actress Saki Kagami was named as a Newcomer of the Year.  

The success of the novel and subsequent drama and movie further enhanced Iijima’s standing in Japan. Known for her frankness, determination and ability to bounce back from adversity, she was seen as a role model for young females here. A vocal supporter of women’s rights, the former porn star also used her platform to raise awareness about AIDS. Previously perceived as a foreign disease or a disease of homosexuality in Japan, it was a cause very few celebrities in this country were willing to undertake.  

“Today, someone is dying from AIDS,” she wrote on her blog on December 2, 2007. “Every day the number of people infected is increasing. For myself, and the people I care about, I would take an HIV test. My first test took a lot of courage, and it was very frightening until the result came back. I can still remember being worried. But every year since then, I have taken the same test. For the people who are important in your life, you should take the test.”  

Taken Too Soon  

By the time Iijima sent that message, her career in the entertainment industry had already finished. She retired in March 2007 due to ill health, though there were also rumors about money issues. On her blog, she wrote that she had kidney problems and inflammation of the urinary tract and bladder. “I’ve been wanting to quit for some time,” she said on the Sunday Japon program. After retirement, she was reportedly interested in starting her own business venture, including selling sex toys and condoms to women.  

Sadly, she passed away before those plans could be realized. Her decomposed body was discovered in her Tokyo apartment on Christmas Eve, 2008, lying face down on the floor. The police later revealed that she had died seven days earlier. Speculation was rife as to the cause. The case was initially treated by the police as a potential suicide, though others suggested she’d been murdered. In February 2009, the pathology examination showed that Iijima died of pneumonia with no foul play.  

That same month, the 300th episode of the KinSma variety show, hosted by Smap’s Masahiro Nakai, was dedicated to Iijima. A few weeks later, more than 2,000 people, including 700 of her friends, relatives and colleagues, attended a memorial service in her honor at Tokyo Prince Hotel. All proceeds from the ceremony went to the Japan Foundation for AIDS Prevention. One woman who traveled down from Ibaraki Prefecture to pay her respects, described Iijima as “a person who was straight up and would speak their mind. I loved that about her.”