TOKYO (TR) – On November 30, officers from the Shizuoka Prefectural Police arrested Hitomi Sugawara, a part-time music teacher at elementary schools in Tokyo, for appearing in an adult video (AV) uploaded to an overseas Internet site.
The 27-year-old was charged with assisting in the creation of obscene electromagnetic media for the purpose distribution.
According to the Sankei Shimbun (Dec. 8), the arrest is a reflection of the challenges educators face in making a living in the field.
Sugawara, a 27-year-old resident of Yokohama, performed under the name “Shizuru Junno” for conventional AV films, while “Reiko Maki” was used for uncensored productions available for download. (Japanese law dictates that genitalia must be properly censored in all films.)
The arrest stemmed from an appearance in “Married Killer,” a series that includes more than 800 films. “Meet Reiko Maki, a sexy, full-bodied wife with beautiful white skin,” announces the film’s promotional copy.
The Sankei says that Sugawara’s background is not that of a typical AV actress. According to the Cuore Music site, Sugawara — whose entry has since been removed — graduated from the music department of the Tokyo University of the Arts.
While in elementary and high school, she appeared in a number of television and radio programs for public broadcaster NHK as a part of its chorus group for children. In 2003, she was awarded top prize at a soloist contest for high school students in Kanagawa Prefecture.
According to the Sankei, the matter came to light following a complaint filed in January with Shizuoka Prefectural Police by a woman in her 20s who appeared in an uncensored production without her consent. An investigation was initiated, and the cyber patrol division later discovered the material featuring Sugawara on the Internet.