Chinese netizens support Japanese porn star's marriage
CGTN
["china"]
The marriage announcement of a Japanese porn star has received overwhelming applause on Chinese social media platforms.
Sexologists said the reception showed growing tolerance among Chinese toward sex-related work even though the authorities have been cracking down on pornography.
Sora Aoi, who opened a Sina Weibo account on her 27th birthday in 2010 that has attracted 18 million followers, announced on the platform on Monday night that she had married a man who is neither handsome nor rich but accepts her previous work in porn. 
Sora Aoi posted her calligraphy work which read 'Japanese-Chinese friendship." /Baidu Photo

Sora Aoi posted her calligraphy work which read 'Japanese-Chinese friendship." /Baidu Photo

"I have no regrets about my previous job, but I know it created a serious problem in getting married. So, he is great," said Aoi. 
The announcement quickly went viral across Chinese social media platforms, with over 106,982 users reposting the message. It was liked by over 650,000 people and 140,000 had left comments at last count. 
While some attacked Aoi with nasty comments, her announcement  has attracted wide support and good wishes. 
Some users argued that as shooting porn is legal in Japan "people could disagree but should at least show some respect."
"Despite the fact that there is a surging anti-Japanese sentiment in China, Aoi's friendliness toward the Chinese people won their acceptance and respect," Xu Jingbo, head of the Japan Bureau of the Asian News Agency, told Global Times. 
"Good wishes on her marriage showed that China is a tolerant society."
Sora Aoi poses after a calligraphy exercise. /Photo via Mt‍ime

Sora Aoi poses after a calligraphy exercise. /Photo via Mt‍ime

Fang Gang, a sexologist and sociologist at Beijing Forestry University, said that moral condemnation of the porn industry among Chinese is on the decrease. "People no longer stigmatize the porn industry but view it with a more open mindset," Fang said.
Peng Xiaohui, a sexology professor at Wuhan's Central China Normal University, said that there are still large numbers of people who enjoy porn in private but belittle the industry in public standing on a moral high ground. 
Experts have pointed out that there is no sign, however, that the sex industry in China will be legalized in the near future.
More than 2,500 websites were shut down in November 2016 because they were deemed pornographic. In the latest crackdown, two popular news apps – Toutiao and Phoenix News – were ordered to temporarily suspend parts of their channels for "spreading pornographic and lewd information." 
Source(s): Global Times