77-year-old porn star taps into Japan’s fast changing demographics

Shigeo Tokuda - Kirainet.com

In Japan more than one fifth of the population is over 65 and that number is expected to be at about 40 percent by 2055.  The life expectancy in Japan is 86 years for a woman and 79 years for a man.  The Guardian reports the elderly in Japan has even taken over traditional occupations such as fishing and agricultural; the average age of a rice farmer is 66.

But what about the “non-traditional” industries, how are the elderly holding up there?

If someone asked 77-year-old Shigeo Tokuda if he is considering retirement yet, particularly since he had bypass heart surgery in August, the answer would still be no; and is planning on returning to work in days.

What would his doctor make of a return to work so soon after having heart surgery?

“I told him…I occasionally perform ‘manual labour’,” Tokuda said with a laugh, reported The Guardian.

“But he didn’t tell me to quit, just not to do any heavy lifting and to take plenty of rest. And he didn’t warn me about getting over-excited. In any case, my blood pressure is normal. If possible, I’d like to keep doing this until I’m at least 80.”

Tokuda has made over 350 adult porn films, making him Japan’s oldest porn star.  He started this side of his double-life at the age of 59.  Until recently, Tokuda was a travel agent by day.  Married 45 years, with two adult children, Tokuda says he and his wife never argue about his job.

“As long as I don’t bring up the subject and treat it more like a hobby, I can get away with it. But I have never breathed a word to my son.”

Takuda’s daughter found out about her father’s “hobby” when she intercepted a fax regarding a very detailed scene he was being offered.

“She was speechless for a while,” Tokuda says.

Tokuda has shot to prominence as the unlikely face of a brand of Japanese blue movie that taps into the country’s fast changing demographics. And yet he didn’t even get started until he was almost 60.

According to industry executives, the market for “silver porn” has doubled over the last decade and now comprises about a fifth of the 3,000 adult films, worth 100 billion yen (about $1.3 billion U.S.), that Japan produces every year.