JAPAN — The reign of fashion held in Japan by the pantyhose may well have come and gone. Weekly Playboy reports that whereas 680 million pair of pantyhose were manufactured in 1996, a mere 200 million were produced in 2005 — a more than merely impressive 70-percent drop in slightly less than a decade.What happened to cause the Federation of Japan Socks Association to lose its britches? After all, in 1989 the market was five times what it is today, with more than 50 Japanese companies creating pantyhose. Today there is estimated to be 20 companies left.

Part of the change may simply relate to the colors available to Japanese women. Don Konishi, a fashion maven insists that “Now, the only women who wear flesh colored pantyhose are the old biddies who go around selling stuff. That’s how out of date they’ve become. It’s been years since pantyhose have been regarded as a sign of good grooming.”

According to Konishi, bare flesh is all the rage now; whether it’s on the shoulders, the neck, the back, the hip, or the legs. “Of course, showing cleavage is hot,” he admits, before pointing out that “those wearing low-lie jeans show off what’s beneath them — and nobody wants to see the top of a pair of pantyhose.”

Likewise, Konishi proposes that the trend toward short skirts and micro shorts make pantyhose even less appealing. “Now’s not a time where women hide their assets. And hiding bare flesh like pantyhose do is simply not something today’s women even think about.”

An anonymous representative for the Japanese adult fetish video industry told Weekly Playboy that nobody doing that line of work was going to miss pantyhose. “Adult movies need a sense of realism,” the person explained, “so pantyhose were never really active players in this world. From about 15 years ago, there was this influx of young women appearing on camera and it would have seemed unnatural if they were all wearing pantyhose.”

Some fetish viewers like pantyhose, however. Suwa Tamura’s profession relies upon precisely that fan base, and he’s noticed a difference. “Pantyhose are certainly less common than they once were,” he admits. “Schoolgirls in the ’90s started wearing loose socks and going around without anything on their legs, and have stayed that way now that they’ve grown up to become women.”

Not everyone is ready to concede defeat, however, including J-Taro Sugisaku, Japan’s Air Sex World Champion, who calls pantyhose “a woman’s last line of defense.” As she sees it, “Comparing the presence of pantyhose is like comparing a parcel wrapped in brown paper to an elaborately decorated package containing a high quality product sold at Mitsukoshi Department Store. Any real man can tell the difference.”

Sugisaku sees romance and excitement involved in the pantyhose removal process, asking, “What happens what you get through that last line of defense? Either the woman surrenders unconditionally and takes them off, or the guy removes them, or they’re destroyed. That 0.2 millimeters of nylon is a stage absolutely packed with drama.”

Additionally, pantyhose are multi-use in Sugisaku’s world. “They can also be used to bind the wrists,” she reminds, “Or as a blindfold. Is there any item as superb as this? It’s really hard for me to accept that pantyhose are an endangered species.”

Fortunately for Sugisaku and others like her, not every female opinion leader has turned her back to pantyhose. Yuri Ebihara and Moe Oshikiri, the country’s most popular models, have released a line of pantyhose called “f*ing Motesto,” which sold out within minutes of its December 2006 release to the market. A second batch of pantyhose are expected soon and retailers are hopeful that their popularity will continue.

Maybe they’ll really rock the market and design a pair that doesn’t come in “flesh” color.