The Japanese film “Fukushima 50”

                          From the official website of the Fukushima 50             

I wanted to see this film at a theater, but I have hesitated to go to theaters due to coronavirus, and eventually they themselves had closed. I gave up seeing the film for the time being. However, online distributing of the film has started despite a new one and I was able to watch it the other day. 

Needless to say, the film depicts desperate effort at the Fukushima-1 plant by about fifty workers when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. (Based on the book “Man who saw the edge of death-Masao Yoshida and Fukushima-1 plant” written by Ryusho Kadota) The unexpected state of emergency at the nuclear plant resembles the world today. The words by Mr. Yoshida such as “Don’t panic””Stay alert””Why did this have to happen?””What did we do something wrong?””Let’s go back home alive” resonated very deeply within me. The nuclear accident in the film inevitably seemed like a foretaste of today’s pandemic. 

And, what I realized from the film are planning a more worst-case scenario than a worst-case scenario, there is no “definitely” in this world, crisis management, manual preparation, doing first things first, regular practice, preparing all the time for emergencies, adhering to rule, fear of unfounded optimism. Of course, a reliable leader and a unified chain of command are necessary.

In the future as well, unprecedented natural disasters or unknown viruses might attack us. Human beings tend to be like the proverb “The danger past and God forgotten”, but I had an acute feeling that we should examine recent events in all aspects and keep learning. And I think that I should never forget that there are people who secure our country at the risk of their own lives even at this very moment. (H.S)  

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The Japanese documentary film “The unyielding life of Kamejiro, who was feared most by the U.S. occupation”

I went to see the documentary film “The unyielding life of Kamejiro, who was feared most by the U.S. occupation”. This film depicts a postwar history of Okinawa and “A man named Kamejiro, who was feared most by the U.S. occupation” which was released in 2017 and created a sensation, in more detail.

Kamejiro Senaga, who was against the U.S. occupation during occupation period in Okinawa, left over 230 diaries. The film deciphers the diaries and depicts anew his life, a battle by teachers, Koza riot and the movement of chemical warfare munitions. 

The climax of the film is debating with Eisaku Sato, Prime Minister of the time, in the Diet. Kamejiro never becomes emotional, and argues in a distinct voice with humor sometimes, which shows his strong belief. Also, I learned details about Paul Caraway, who was a HighCommissioner of the United States Civil Administration of Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) and the movement of chemical warfare munitions, which was an estimated 1,900 metric tons. 

The narration by Motoyo Yamane, who was a former NHK announcer, and an actor, Koji Yakusho, and music by Ryuichi Sakamoto were all great. (H.S)

                                Autograph by the director, Tadahiko Sako

             

                   Visitors can write reviews of films freely in this notebook. 

[Trailer] 

             

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The Japanese film "The Great War of Archimedes"

I saw the film  "The Great War of Archimedes"   directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who is known as the director of "The Fighter Pilot" and "The Man They Called Pirate".

The main character, a mathematical genius is a fictional one, but many other characters existed. For him, who is a mathematician, everything in the world can be expressed in a mathematical formula. "Numbers never tell a lie" is the absolute truth, which was his justice.

However, the interpretation of justice depends on the person. In the scene of a meeting, the theme "protecting the country" had missed the point and become a personal attack. This kind of things may have happened in Japan today as well. 

Hiroshi Tachi, who played Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, was stylish and so cool. Isoroku Yamamoto was played by famous actors such as Toshiro Mifune and Koji Yakusho etc. Hiroshi Tachi also played carefully Yamamoto's intellect, humanity and great ambitions as a military man. 

Late in the film, Lieutenant General Hirayama said, "Japanese people don't know how to get defeated" "Japanese people will fight to the last man". I think that these are the keywords of this film. The tragic battleship Yamato was one of the world's largest and built with the best technology and aesthetic of Japanese people. On April 7^th, 1945, the Yamato was under fierce attack from U.S. fighters and sunk. 

From start to finish, the film was breathless. I thought that there were messages to today's Japan in each line and made me think. And, I want to visit Yamato Museum one day. (H.S) 

The Japanese film "The Journalist"

I saw the film "The Journalist", which criticizes the current government. I don't think that this kind of film had been created in Japan.

The subjects of the film are an accusation by a female journalist Shiori Ito

and Kake Gakuen scandal, which can be said that it is a controversial one that depicts the dark side of Japan in real time.

When I saw the scene that a bureaucrat of Japan's Cabinet Intelligence Investigation Room, Sugihara said, "I am a person on the government.", I questioned what he said. I wondered that just what "on the government" was, and the government and the citizens were enemies in the first place.　

While seeing the film, I tried to figure out the meaning of the words that a journalist Yoshioka's father who had died left, "Believe and doubt yourself more than anyone else."

A Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung plays Yoshioka. Previously, her image was a merry girl because she played a younger sister in a Korean TV drama. But I was happy to see that now she became quite a charming woman. The quiet scenes with she and Tori Matsuzaka, who played Sugihara, were impressive. When the film ended, I thought it was really good that she played Yoshioka.  

You can enjoy the film as a good piece of work regardless of your political beliefs. It made me realize that swallowing coverages and that thinking process comes to stop is the worst thing for Japanese people who have been pointed out that they are peace-addicted. So, I really felt that I should collect information as much as I can and think anything for myself first. (H.S)