Ai Iijima

was a Japanese media personality, writer, activist and actress who was an AV idol early in her career, starring in more than 100 films. She later became the hostess on the nighttime television program, Gilgamesh Night, and transitioned away from AV work. After ending her career in adult videos, Iijima released a musical single Naisho DE Ai! Ai! in July 1993 and soon became a regular on daytime TV talk shows. Iijima became involved in campaigns to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, a cause that few Japanese celebrities were willing to undertake. On December 24, 2008 at about 3:30 p.m. (JST), Iijima was found dead in her 21st floor Tokyo apartment. Pathology examination showed she had died of pneumonia shortly after retiring from the public eye. Born as Matsue Okubo in Tokyo, Japan, Iijima described a troubled early life in her autobiography. She was raped in her early teens and had an abortion. She ran away from home as a teenager, later stating, "I hated my parents, to the point where I would rather be coached by bums to sleep in parks wrapped in newspaper blankets." In order to make a living during this time, Iijima worked in karaoke establishments, snack bars, Ginza hostess clubs, and in enjo kōsai (paid dating). Iijima's adult video (AV) debut was All That Sexy Venus for the Tairiku Shobo Company's FOXY label in April 1992. She quickly became the top AV actress of the time, appearing in over 100 films. She entered mainstream media as a hostess on the nighttime television program, Gilgamesh Night, where she became known as the "T-Back Queen", for her practice of turning her rear to the camera, lifting her skirt and flashing her G-string, known in Japan as a "T-Back". In addition to adult videos in the early 1990s, Iijima also acted in a number of softcore V-cinema works including the August 1992 comedy Yuke yuke AV shinsengumi: Tenshi tachi no H na daisensō (with Hitomi Shiraishi), and the erotic suspense comedy Costume Gourmet: T-Back Bride, released in January 1993 by Japan Home Video.