Description
Amakawa Sora, an AV actress with a model-like figure who debuted in the industry in 2019 with S1, has returned to releasing new works after several years away. During her hiatus, she stopped appearing in new productions, criticized the AV industry on social media, and focused on establishing her own company with the goal of producing content and protecting the rights and interests that she and other AV actresses deserve. Now, upon her return, Sora gave two interviews to Nikkan Spa magazine, published on May 21 and 22, 2026. In those interviews, she revealed that two different agencies failed to pay her money she was owed, in addition to discussing other issues within the AV industry. The following is a summary of her account. Currently 27 years old, Sora explained that she entered the industry through a rather unusual relationship. A friend introduced her to a specialized agency after learning that she wanted to earn money to support her family. Later, she discovered that this friend had received a referral fee from the agency for recruiting her. Furthermore, this person attempted to control and manipulate her psychologically with statements such as: “I've done so many things for you.” She also secretly attached a GPS tracker to Sora and even confined her for approximately six months. “She wouldn't let me meet other people, dragged me from place to place even when I was sleepy, and controlled even my meal schedules and menus. I had no time to think. I was ‘brainwashed’ in this way.” Although she now appears confident and decisive, Sora says that at the time she believed her own opinions were not necessarily always correct and tended to listen to others. This allowed that friend—whom she is no longer sure should even be called a friend—to take advantage of her through psychological pressure. She joined the agency 44 Management in 2019 and remained there for three years. At the time, the industry's governing organization already required agencies to disclose payment amounts to actresses, which led her to believe there would be no problems. However, from the very beginning, the situation seemed suspicious because of that intermediary. "She would say, 'This girl (Amakawa) has problems managing money. I'll keep it and manage it for her.' The agency president apparently believed her and placed complete trust in her. Because everything went through that person, I ultimately received only about 25% of my total earnings... Worse still, because she claimed to be helping me, I also had to pay her rent, food, and utility bills under the pretext of miscellaneous expenses. That situation continued for about a year after my debut.” As a result, Sora had virtually no friends and no one she could talk to. She lived in that situation for roughly a year, supporting herself with her savings. In addition, the intermediary spread negative rumors among her fans, claiming that she was frequently late and incapable of taking care of herself, causing her to lose many followers. This often happened whenever Sora tried to resist the mistreatment. Eventually, she realized that it was all part of a brainwashing process designed to make her accept unfair wages and decided to escape from those people. “I cut off all contact with them, including the GPS and social media. I had a large following because I debuted as an AV actress, but I deleted everything. I left with the determination that, ‘I don't care if I have to start new social media accounts. I just want to get away from these people!’” After losing millions of yen in unpaid compensation and enduring that traumatic experience, Sora decided to leave the agency, convinced that she had no future there. When she consulted lawyers about filing a lawsuit, she discovered that several actresses who had taken legal action had their identities exposed online by these people. She also learned that the contracts they signed were not actually employment contracts with agencies but individual business agreements. Looking back, she says actresses were pressured into feeling inferior. Those who seriously discussed contract terms were often viewed as difficult to work with, and many ultimately accepted the situation. For a time, she was unsure whether to continue working in the industry. However, she needed income, and after finding someone she trusted, she transferred to the agency Arrows. According to Sora, changing agencies seven or eight years ago was far more difficult than it is today, and very few actresses managed to do so. However, she encountered the same problem again. The payment system worked as follows: production companies paid agencies in full, and the agencies then paid the actresses. Although she filmed several works each month, she was not receiving her compensation, and whenever she requested advances, payments were delayed. “I think I might be the only adult actress who experienced unpaid compensation twice in a row (laughs). The first time, I was owed several million yen, and apparently the company president gambled it all away. That's why I never received my money. The second time, the unpaid amount was about one million yen. Because the company was holding my earnings, I repeatedly told the president, ‘I'm leaving the company. From now on, I'll handle everything myself, so please pay me. If possible, I'd like a lump-sum payment.’ But he avoided me for about six months. As long as the company kept holding my money, they could keep stalling by saying, ‘Wait a little longer, wait a little longer.’ In the end, they never handled the matter properly.” She says she does not know exactly what those agency presidents did with the money. Despite having many actresses under contract, they may have invested in other businesses, used the funds to acquire older agencies and pay off debts, or simply lost it through gambling. Sora believes she was not the only victim. She also heard that famous actresses from the same agency earned less than they should have. Among the names speculated were Fukada Eimi and Aizawa Minami. “I think I was cut off from the people around me and had no environment where I could talk to anyone. Whenever something happened, it was always just me and the company president discussing it. I only found out about the unpaid compensation about a year after I had already left the company.” She only learned the truth when someone who had been in contact with the company president informed her. Sora tried to arrange meetings with him, but he repeatedly failed to show up and eventually disappeared altogether. Later, on social media, Hinata Natsu, who had also been affiliated with 44 Management, shared the interview and stated that she too had been deprived of millions of yen in compensation. Sora also commented that Japan's current AV legislation is excessively strict. One example is the mandatory one-month waiting period after signing a contract. If an actress suddenly becomes ill during that period and no replacement can be found, filming may have to be canceled. She actively campaigned for changes to the law while it was being debated and enacted, but observed that the movement gradually lost momentum. According to Sora: “In my case, because I'm an AV actress, if my opinions are too sharp or serious, people start saying, ‘She must be difficult to work with.’ Among fans, there are comments like, ‘I wish she would stay an idol a little longer,’ or ‘She's so serious that I can't enjoy her films the same way anymore.’ Once you're seen as a sexy actress, people have trouble accepting that you hold serious beliefs or opinions. Especially if the image of being an activist becomes deeply associated with you, you'll be labeled as a ‘serious person’ or someone who is ‘too stern.’ It even becomes harder for people to accept you playing a gyaru character, and it affects the range of roles and character types you can perform. Therefore, there is a general feeling that work becomes easier if you tone down your seriousness.” Today, the movement to revise the law has lost much of its intensity. Many people within the industry have chosen to simply follow the rules rather than continue fighting for change. Although protests still exist, there is no clear leader or defined strategy for achieving reform. Sora believes that dialogue with politicians and institutional support are necessary to amend the legislation. According to her, this requires cooperation and avoiding unnecessary conflicts, as the industry already faces significant social prejudice. She now works with a company founded by a person who was previously her personal manager, someone she considers highly capable and the person who understands her best. According to Sora, he always believed that actresses deserved better compensation and shared her view that many long-standing practices within the industry were fundamentally wrong. Both she and the new company president have worked ordinary jobs outside the AV industry and clearly recognized that many practices considered normal within the industry would be regarded as problematic in other professional environments. She says she admires his determination to reform the industry, which is why she decided to work alongside him. Because production companies generally pay agencies directly, agencies rarely allow third parties to communicate with actresses without going through them. Nevertheless, Sora believes the future may be different. “Today, there are already some actresses who produce independent works and operate on their own. In reality, many actresses could do it themselves. If there is a trustworthy relationship, it is possible to produce and sell your own work. I think it's a good thing that there are various ways of working.” Source: Hitomitokushada, Nikkan Spa, Wikipedia
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