Retired Japanese badminton star earns up to $104,000 a month through live streaming

A former Japanese national badminton player who won four international titles has revealed how she turned to live streaming after retirement, earning up to 80 times more than she did as a professional athlete.

Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun profiled former national team member Araki Akane, 30, on Saturday, detailing her career as a player and her life since retiring.

Standing 176 centimeters tall, Araki followed a path into badminton from an early age. Her mother was also a former badminton player who reached the top of the world championships, and Araki picked up a racket at age 7, competing on the court throughout elementary, middle and high school.

Despite winning four international titles as an elite athlete, her earnings as a player fell short of expectations. She said that after retirement, players typically continue working at their club's affiliated company, but the monthly salary amounts to only about 200,000 yen ($1,300).

Araki ultimately retired from professional play in January 2020 and launched a second career as an internet broadcaster within just two to three months.

She was candid about her motivation for starting live streams, saying simply, "I wanted to make money."

When she retired, the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading, and Araki anticipated that the live streaming market would grow. She began broadcasting in a format where she interacted with viewers in real time and received donations.

She rented an apartment in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, for 60,000 yen a month and started broadcasting with nothing but a smartphone. Araki said she moved out to escape her family and those around her who opposed her live streaming career.

She also blocked the social media accounts of former colleagues and badminton officials she had known during her playing days. She felt they would not understand her choice, and she did not want their discouragement to make her give up.

The income she earned through live streaming proved remarkable. Araki said her highest monthly earnings reached 16 million yen ($104,000).

The road to those earnings, however, was far from smooth.

Early in her broadcasting career, Araki joined a talent agency and paid roughly 1 million yen in so-called training fees, but said she received little proper instruction, partly due to COVID-19. She also disclosed that 70 percent of the donations she earned from her streams went to the agency.

Reflecting on that period, she said, "I had spent my whole life in sports and had no idea how the world worked, so I was deceived and suffered a significant loss."

She also had unpleasant experiences, including being asked by a high-paying donor for a private meeting. When she refused, she said, the viewer redirected large donations to a rival broadcaster, pushing her down in the rankings.

Araki addressed speculation about cosmetic surgery following changes in her appearance after retirement, attributing the difference to losing about 15 kilograms and saying she has continued to stay in shape through exercise since retiring.

Last August, Araki founded her own talent agency for internet broadcasters, drawing on her own experiences. About 10 broadcasters are currently signed with the agency, including a former badminton player.

"I want to show former athletes that there are many possibilities beyond their playing careers," she said.