ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the power relations among the major players including adult video (AV) studios, self-regulatory bodies, and distributors in the AV industry. The Japanese AV studio is an elementary unit of the Japanese AV industry, because the AV maker is a clearly defined component of the industry. It is very rare that an AV maker will engage in industries other than the production of AVs. AV makers also tend to be graded and arranged in a hierarchy. In the AV industry, there is clearly a split between big and small studios. Alice Japan is one of the most successful labels of Japan Home Video (JHV), a Japanese media corporation which produces and distributes films and video products and is also involved in TV programming and video game software. Japan Video Image was one of the earliest AV studios founded by industry people from the pink film tradition.
