JAV in Review 2025: Farewells, Comebacks, Konan Koyoi's Beef, and the K-pop Connection

The Great Wave of Retirements of 2025

2025 was the most brutal year of retirements I’ve seen since following the industry. Many actresses bowed out this year, with a ton coming from long-time veterans and big-time stars from all over the spectrum. Buckle in for the list of major announcements; Kana Momonogi, Ai Sayama, Aya Ueha, Mao Hamasaki, Airi Kijima, Nana Miho, Aoi Ichinose, Reo Fujisawa, Noa Eikawa, Amiri Saito, and Hime Hayasaka. Set to release their final works sometime in 2026 include Mary Tachibana, Aika Yamagishi, Akari Mitani, and Kana Yume/Jun Mizukawa.

Ray of Hope/Comeback

There is a sliver of hope in the form of comebacks, as 2025 also saw a surprising number of returns. Naho Ozawa, Yuko Shiraki, and Kana Miyashita all came back. Some of these ladies returned after over a decade out. I’m also very happy to report on Aki Sasaki’s return to porn. Yuki Takeuchi was set to retire, unfortunately for her; personal issues have delayed that. Unfortunate for her, but fortunate for her fans to enjoy more of her works.

Kanna-Mania

The biggest surprise of 2025 was easily Kanna Seto. A pretty girl with a great rack coming in with S1 should be no surprise, but it was shocking to see just how much she blew up. The hottest rookie to enter JAV I’ve ever seen in my few short years of following the industry. Kanna-mania hit the JAV world and for good reason. More on her later.

Minami Aizawa, Vice-President Talent Agency, Married Woman, S.E.S

Talk about the story that came out of left field. Minami Aizawa was reported to have become a Vice-President at a well-known talent agency, Burning Productions. Not only that it was revealed that she was married to the CEO Shogo Suho. The newly appointed CEO cleaned house and installed Minami was one of his new hires. This comes at a time when Minami has distanced herself from her porn persona while canceling appearances under that name. A strange story that only gets weirder when you find out her husband was married multiple times, once to Gravure Model Anri Sugihara. And even weirder when you find out he wrote a song for legendary K-pop girl group S.E.S. Just strange.

K-pop Dating Hunters

This isn’t the only K-pop mention in this post, oddly enough, as Kirara Asuka found herself back in the headlines. Kiara was allegedly caught with a male K-pop idol, Ju Hak Nyeon from the group THE BOYZ. Now, if you think idol culture in JAV is harsh, it is even worse in K-pop. Dating is bad enough, but seeing a former porn star? That’s a career ender, sadly. That’s despite the pair denying any wrongdoing and the police making no charges. Personally, I see no problem with a consensual relationship between two adults, but that’s just me.

Konan Koyoi…is a Big Fat Phony?

Those retired girls got up into all sorts of trouble this year. Not only did Konan Koyoi shock fans with her retirement announcement, but she managed to do it again when it was alleged that a company her husband ran sold unapproved merchandise from Alice Nanase and Saika Kawakita. Saika didn’t respond, which is expected, but Alice did. Confirming the report and lawyering up. I also glossed over, but yes, Konan is apparently married, and that might explain her retirement. Konan Koyoi’s husband selling Saika’s used panties was not on my bingo card for 2026.

Yua Mikami’s Stained White Dress

Some didn’t do anything to warrant controversy, but still got swept up in it, which is what happened to Yua Mikami when she modeled for a white dress. A bride-to-be moaned online about an AV actress wearing the dress she wanted to wear as her wedding dress. This sparked a conversation online that was more mixed than expected. Some criticized the company for letting her model it, some said that it’s discriminatory towards AV actresses, and that she isn’t an AV actress anymore. Whatever Yua does, it seems like controversy follows, even if she barely does anything.

Goodbye Freelance, Hello Exclusive

I wrote about this before, but this year we saw the great exodus of Freelancers to Exclusive contract status. Many notable names like Himari Kinoshita, Ena Satsuki, Hana Himesaki, Sumire Kuramoto, Ruisa Totsuki, Rima Arai, and Hinako Mori. Even directors got into the exclusive game as Samoari announced he would join WAPP. The biggest move to exclusivity was Hibiki Otsuki. The long-time Kikatan actress was part of the rise of Freelancers during the 2010s. It's hard to even keep track of who is a true freelancer nowadays with all the contracts being thrown around. Harder when many of them are multi-exclusives, which is an oxymoron. The end of the age of Freelancers might be a response to worsening conditions in the industry. Actresses looking for stability in uncertain times. Not everyone went with the flow as Mina Kitano proudly declared her return as a Freelancer. Some people still are ready for the hustle and grind.

Asian Porn Rising

One story we covered this year was the rise of Korean porn. K-porn is still budding and has made a couple of attempts to win over JAV fans by including some familiar female and male faces. We saw them collab with actresses and actors like Mao Hamasaki, Sarina Momonaga, Masahiro Tabuchi, and Genjin Moribayashi. The same growth can be seen with the TAV industry and its talent. The Taipei Red Expo (TRE) continues to be the biggest fan event in JAV, and it doesn’t even take place in Japan.

Collabs out the Wazoo

One way JAV has raised its game in 2025 was the collaborations. 2025 was the year of team-ups from actresses to studios. We saw a ton of girls come together on-screen, pun intended. S1 closed out their extra-long anniversary series special. Idea Pocket came in with their studio-wide Beauty Venus Harlem, and no, that wasn’t a typo. Moodyz, Madonna, Honnaka, and even Real Works; so many got into the mass Group Sex game. However, it was the smaller team-ups that caught my eye. This was the year we saw Miru get frisky with Nana Miho, Aika Yamagishi team up with Akari Mitani again, and Karen Kaede reunite with Arina Arata. Really good collabs from all over, and it gave fans what they wanted to see in them. I’m talking girl-on-girl. If this is their response to competition, then I am for it. Bring on the Porn Wars.

AI in JAV: Do people want this?

Not every trend in JAV was a good thing. Yes, we can’t escape AI even in JAV as this year saw an increase in its use. Makers are pushing it, but I have to question if the people even want this. Is there a market in JAV for AI porn? I don’t know, but I do know I don’t want it. If I wanted animated porn, I’d look that up. I want JAV because it’s JAV.

Actresses Vs Agencies

Actresses have long bristled under agency control, but this was the year that actresses loudly proclaimed their problems with management. From small issues like Riko Hoshino complaining about SOD not being represented at TRE with their girls. To allegations of fraud and unpaid wages by Mizuki Aiga or the mistreatment of Mao Hamasaki. These gripes sparked a conversation among some about their grievances. It wasn’t just talk, as we saw the formation of a new agency this year that promised to be “actress first”. I’m rooting for their success, but mainly rooting for better treatment of the talent behind the scenes.

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