I want to break into the world”…Charismatic Taka Kato: “Goldfinger is alive and well! Ambitions of a 64-year-old

The “Blank Decade” since Retirement

Kato has been active on the front lines for 25 years since his debut as an adult film actor in 1988. He is said to have earned 300 million yen throughout his career, and has appeared in more than 15,000 films. Then, in August 2001, he suddenly announced his retirement. The reason behind his retirement was the death of his father.

I lost my father in 2011. In his later years, he used to sit in front of the TV every day, drinking tea, eating rice, and taking a bath (……). He used to be a stubborn old man. He used to be a stubborn old man, but I thought, ‘In the end, he died without doing anything. At that time, I suddenly asked myself, ‘Is there anything left to do? Is there anything I haven’t done yet?　Is it OK to keep going on like this?

I had already decided to retire, but there are a lot of actors who say, “I’m quitting” to create a buzz and then stay on for 10 years or more. I don’t like that kind of approach. So I really didn’t make a public announcement until right before I left.

After that, Kato completely disappeared from the public eye. What on earth was he doing?

I spent the first three years after I retired doing whatever I could to take care of myself. I played golf, which I love, every week. That’s why I became so good at golf after I turned 50 (laughs). Recently, I won a competition sponsored by former gymnast Yukio Ikeya.
But while I was playing, I ran out of money. I was divorced and gave all my money to my ex-wife. That’s when I started working around ’16.

After his father passed away, he launched a management company, “Kato Taka Shoten,” with the idea of “doing something,” and when it started full-fledged operations, he received inquiries from many companies. Rakuten offered him a billboard position for adult goods, and ANA offered him a job as a billboard model for a Chinese e-commerce site.

Japanese porn actors are very famous in Taiwan, China, and other Asian countries. Japanese porn actors are very famous in Taiwan, China, and other parts of Asia. Pirated copies of Japanese porn have been leaked in those areas for a long time. I think they wanted my name recognition to expand into Asia. But it didn’t go very well.

Still, as he struggled, he found a connection with SWAG, the distribution service mentioned earlier. Kato also plans to develop a new business in Japan.

I’m planning to open a body makeover store for women that will incorporate massage, bodywork, and esthetics,” she said. I have already found an investor and plan to start within a year.

After 10 years of blank space, Kato continues to be active in a variety of genres. We asked him about his goals for the future.

As I said at my retirement press conference at the time, I have zero regrets about the AV industry. I just found something I thought was interesting in the world of porn. But since I’m going to do it, I want to give it my all and go for the top. The bigger the dream and the bigger the crotch, the better, right? (laughs).

The legend’s eyes were shining like a boy’s as he spoke of his ambitions.

From the September 1, 2023 issue of “FRIDAY