Japan porn stars alive and rooting for countrymen

Popular Japanese porn stars Maria Ozawa, Sola Aoi, and Ai Sayama are alive and well and have been using their social media accounts to help drum up support and morale for their countrymen. In the wake of the magnitude-8.9 earthquake last March 11 and the devastating tsunami that followed, social media were rife with comments of concern about the status of various Japanese celebrities. Fortunately, despite rumors of their untimely demise, most Japanese stars have been found to be alive and well —including celebrated Japanese adult video (JAV) star Ozawa. The half-Canadian, half-Japanese actress has enjoyed immense popularity outside of Japan, particularly in Indonesia —where she had a non-risqué role in a mainstream comedy film— and the Philippines, where she has even inspired a line of brand-name t-shirts. Not only is Ozawa in good health, but she and other adult film actresses have also been helping keep morale high among their countrymen. Mainstream acceptance of adult stars Unlike in other countries, where porn stars experience some social stigma due to their profession, JAV has earned mainstream acceptance in Japanese culture. "AV stars can enjoy a high level of celebrity not only in Japan, but across Asia," notes CNN Go Asia. "The industry is thought to churn out more than 3,000 features a year —compared to around 400 regular Japanese films— and have a value of ¥100 billion ($1.2billion)," the website added. Both Aoi and Sayama, her friend and fellow co-star under the S1 No. 1 Style video label, have continuously been re-tweeting advisories and updates from various agencies in Japan. Sora Aoi: 'Pray for Japan' "Can't stop crying. Conveying Japan to the world #Prayforjapan," Aoi posted on Twitter in the early morning of March 12, the day after the earthquake and tsunami. The post contained a link to a website showcasing positive and uplifting tweets by Japanese citizens in the wake of the tragedy. On her personal blog, the nubile actress said that she felt depressed and found it difficult to continue her regular updates to her blog and on Twitter. However, she also said that she was inspired by the positive attitude of the people around her and realized that it was important for everyone to keep their spirits high. "Now I feel comfortable after a long time to see everyone smiling," she tweeted on March 13. "I don't know what Japan can do in such a situation, but I strongly want to make people smile. Let's wish hard and do our best," she said on her latest blog entry. Ai Sayama: 'Can't stop the tears' "I couldn't stop the tears when I saw the (video) footage of the tsunami," the buxom Sayama tweeted. "I can live without a refrigerator," she added, referring to calls by local authorities to conserve electricity in the wake of rolling blackouts due to damage from the quake. — RSJ, GMA News