from www.tokyoreporter.com – Shukan Jitsuwa reports that entertainer Mieko Arai, 40, [pictured] is facing retirement from showbiz due to her ballooning weight.

Known for her shapely form and large breasts, Arai rose to fame as a member of the pop group Giri Giri Girls in the early 1990s. After releasing a number of photo books, singles, and the 1993 album “Kiss Me” with the group, Arai, in 1994, decided to resume the gravure (pin-up) modeling career she had put on hold while pursuing pop music.

A decade later, Arai’s work got substantially more salacious. In 2005, she released “Goddess,” a nude photo book, and starred in the sequel to the 1974 SM flick “Hana to Hebi” (Flower and Snake). In the fall of the following year, she made two porn films, including “Celebrity Promiscuity,” on adult video label Soft On Demand.

“Arai retired from the porn industry in 2007 to make a comeback in standard films,” says an entertainment industry insider. “But she is still inactive, and she shows no resemblance to the star of Giri Giri Girls unit as she has bulked up. Moreover, she is dependent on medication that is making her psychologically unstable. As a result, it is difficult for her to return.”

An IT professional shares one anecdote with the magazine about her condition. “A lady with thick forearms was drinking with my buddy,” says the professional.

“Others in the establishment were calling her ‘Mee-chan,’ and when I looked over later I realized that it was Mieko Arai of Giri Giri Girls. I was a fan before so seeing such a glamorous person in this state was shocking.”

Sources speculate on what led to Arai’s current state.

“She was the member of the (Giri Giri Girls) unit who had the highest desire to get married,” says the aforementioned industry insider. “With other members getting hitched, it made her mentally unstable. She supposedly deeply regrets appearing in porn.”

Another individual who is working in the AV industry says that she is becoming increasingly unsociable, having recently lost friends and a boyfriend. “Not only is she dependent on medication, but she is also into alcohol and smoking,” says the source.

Shukan Jitsuwa says that while she is chasing work, getting back into the entertainment world is highly challenging.