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‘It’s not an Oedipus complex’: why Japan’s ‘silver porn’ market is booming

An industry making older women the centre of attention appeals to some actors; and as Japan’s society ages, demand is growing

The 88-year-old Yuko Ogasawara did not make her debut until she was in her early 80s, while Maori Tezuka, who specialised in “accommodating” grandmother roles, retired in 2017 at the age of 80, telling the Tokyo Reporter website that acting in pornographic films had been “lively and fun”. Japan has a super-ageing society, with an estimated 36.2 million people aged 65 or older Photograph: Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO/REX/ShutterstockTōda prefers to appear in improbable tales of incestuous relationships spanning the generations. Photograph: Robert Gilhooly/Kawabe puts the popularity of senior porn down to an ageing consumer base and “the fact that female actors continue to pursue beauty and explore their sexuality even as they get older.

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