A documentary film YASUKUNI is about to release

[Astroboy]

This documentary film is produced by Mr Li Ying, a Chinese director, who live in Japan. Because contents are not open yet, I don't know what it looks like.
But reportedly this film was funded by Japanese Art & Culture Fund and Korean Asia Documentary Network, and also planned to release at Berlin Film Festival.

Must be controversial again.

If anybody is interested, please check release schedule at Official website: http://www.yasukuni-movie.com (Japanese only) and go to the theaters.

Official trailer: http://movie.goo.ne.jp/contents/movies/MOVCSTD12235/26.asx

 

[brave_new_world]

But people who favour worshipping at Yascuni is a small number in Japan.

This documentary film is produced by Mr Li Ying, a Chinese director, who live in Japan. Because contents are not open yet, I don't know what it looks like.
But reportedly this film was funded by Japanese Art & Culture Fund and Korean Asia Documentary Network, and also planned to release at Berlin Film Festival.
Must be controversial again.
If anybody is interested, please check release schedule at Official website: http://www.yasukuni-movie.com (Japanese only) and go to the theaters.
Official trailer: http://movie.goo.ne.jp/contents/movies/MOVCSTD12235/26.asx

 

[Astroboy]

But people who favour worshipping at Yascuni is a small number in Japan.

 

[Chidoriashi]

Read the fine print at the bottom...This QuickVote is not scientific...

 

[pipokun]

It is really unfortunate that few J media don't conduct their follow-up reports at all, but just barking, "horrible, scary, the end of democracy". Actually some theaters decided to show the movie even after the inexcusable threat from the far-right activists, however someone who read only the wikipedia article might think Japan is a scary country without freedom of expression.
Yasukuni (film) - Wikipedia
Yasukuni (2007 film)
An independent journalist, Shoko Egawa famous for her great job on the religious cult, AUM, reports as follows:

ﾂ湘｣窶ｰf窶堋ｪ窶吮??ﾅｽ~窶堙俄?堙遺?堙≫?堋ｽ窶ｰf窶ｰﾃｦﾅ?ﾃ吮?堙娯?吮??窶堙?、ﾋ?ｪ窶敕板「ﾂ抗窶ｹcﾂ行窶慊ｮﾂ」窶堙ｰﾅｽﾃｳ窶堋ｯ窶堙??堋｢窶堋ｽﾆ智ﾆ停?ｦﾂーﾆ筑ﾆ鍛ﾆ誰ﾆ歎ﾆ歎ﾆ値ﾆ筑ﾂ。ﾂ湘｣窶ｰf窶吮??ﾅｽ~窶堙ｰ窶ｹﾂ≫?堙溪?堙ｩ窶彭ﾋ彙窶堙坂?啀窶唹ﾂ絶?昶?怒ﾂ。ﾅｽﾃｼ窶｢ﾃ凪?堙??堙個抗窶ｹcﾂ行窶慊ｮ窶堙債、窶牢窶｢窶昶?堙??啌窶ｰﾃｱ窶堙?、窶堋｢窶堋ｸ窶堙ｪ窶堙?ﾅ?Xﾂ静ｩﾅｽﾃ披?啀窶佚､窶堋ｪ窶卍ｷ窶堋ｭ窶堙??啌窶唹窶｢ﾂｪ窶凖ｶ窶忸ﾂ、ﾂ「ﾂ湘｣窶ｰf窶堙ｰ窶吮??ﾅｽ~窶堋ｹ窶堙ｦﾂ」窶堙??堋ｪ窶堙遺?堙ｨ窶板ｧ窶堙??堋ｽ窶堙??堙娯?堋ｱ窶堙?。窶堋ｻ窶堙娯?徭窶忸ﾅ遅ﾅｽ@窶堙架廣窶板坂?堙ｰ窶堋ｵﾂ、窶佚寂?ｰﾅｾ窶堙俄?堙や?堋｢窶堙??堙娯?佛?窶冖窶堙俄?堙?ﾂ湘ｦ窶堙≫?堙??堙?窶堙ｧ窶堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堋ｽﾂ。
Egawa Shoko Journal: この萎縮現象は、表現の自由の自殺行為だ
Humax Cinema, allegedly suffered from the most protests, received about 10 phone calls and 3 far-right loud wagons claiming "CANCEL THE MOVIE". The theater asked the police for help and plans how they should deal with each time.

Interesting is that most J media kept mysteriously silent when the much louder activists surrounded around the Suginami ward office in terms of a history textbook there or the local government in Okinawa paid the bus chartering fare for anti-text book movement activists last year...
Anyways, if they believe Japan is a horrible country without freedom, just upload it in an on-line hosting site like J anime.

 

[tokapi]

Sadly,this documentary film becomes a victim of Japanese right-wing's heavy-handed blackmailling.

Is Japan a second-rate democracy with limited freedom of expression

 

[pipokun]

Yes, more than 20 theaters are going to host the movies in that second-rate democratic country.

I bet the person in charge of public relation must be head-hunted soon.

 

[gaijinalways]

Uh, 20 out of how many theaters who had originally agreed to show it, but backed down when the rightwingers thretened to disrupt business by making things unpleasant for people waiting to see a movie? There is plenty of freedom of expression, though it depends on what type is allowed. There are plenty of movies that never make it here, and it isn't always because people don't want to see them.

 

[pipokun]

The number of theaters who claimed the terrible threat (just 3 black cars and 10 phone calls at most) or overreacted was 5.
Now it is 20 or more.
A small step for the democracy, but it is a great promotion strategy as well.

The sword master, the de facto main character as the movie company says, pleasantly agreed to show his technique at a request from the Chinese guy who said to him that he used the film for his research.

I wish I went into the editing war in wikipedia, but I know my English is not good enough to do so. I just report what really happened here.

 

[pipokun]

ﾂ青ｧﾂ催ｬﾅ弛ﾋ?懌?堙俄?｢sﾂ信ﾅ?'ﾂ ﾂ「窶禿ｵﾂ坂?伉」ﾂ出窶ｰ窶ｰ窶堙娯?慊?渉?
2008窶扼04ﾅ椎ｽ10窶愿ｺ13ﾅｽﾅｾ50窶｢ﾂｪ
窶｢vﾂ催遺?堙坂?｢ﾂｽﾂ青ｬﾂ十ﾅｽﾂｵ窶扼ﾂ十ﾅ椎ｽ窶堙嫁?ﾃ??愿や?伉､窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧ窶倪?披?堙ｧ窶堙ｪ窶堙??堋ｫ窶堋ｽﾅｽﾃｨﾅｽ窶?窶堙ｰﾅｽﾂｦ窶堋ｵﾂ、ﾂ「窶ｰf窶ｰﾃｦ窶堙債（窶慊?催ｬ窶堙ｨ窶堙個）窶ｹZﾂ術窶廬窶堙遺?愿?窶覇窶堙?ｽv窶堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堋ｽﾂ」窶堙??ｹﾂｭ窶卍ｲﾂ。ﾅ?ﾃ??愿や?伉､窶堙俄?佚寂?堋ｵﾂ、ﾂ「ﾂ信窶廃窶堙??堋ｫ窶堙遺?堋｢ﾂ」ﾂ「窶堋ｾ窶堙懌?堋ｳ窶堙ｪ窶堋ｽﾂ」窶堙遺?堙??堙??ｹﾂｭ窶堋｢窶｢sﾂ信ﾅ?'窶堙?窶堙俄?堋ｶ窶堙懌?堋ｹ窶堋ｽﾂ。
http://203.139.202.230/?&nwSrl=225477&nwIW=1&nwVt=knd
The Kochi Shinbun

As (the 90 year old! sword master) showing a letter from the film director in 2005, he emphasized that it was, he thought, for his sword-making technique. He showed the strong distrust against the film company.

Instead of the typical good faith clause, I am afraid that the time will come when Japanese needs to hire a lawyer before reaching agreements.

 

[tokapi]

Rightwingers thretened to disrupt business by making things unpleasant for people waiting to see a movie ?

There is plenty of freedom of expression, though it depends on what type is allowed.

This book provides many insightful details.

A Public Betrayed

Japanese university professor named Takesato Watanabe 渡辺武達 reveals in " A Public Betrayed " how Japan's media have dangerously overstepped their boundaries and distorted--even wiped out--honest news.

* Prof Watanabe's homepage

http://www1.doshisha.ac.jp/~twatanab/watanabe/index3.html

 

[caster51]

I want to say "Return the subsidy. "
If they dedicate the profit to Yasukuni, It would be OK
BTW
why doesn't black noisy ban who obstructed movie theater
assist to Tibet?
it is mysterious

 

[pipokun]

Sword maker asks his scenes to be deleted from controversial film 'Yasukuni'
...
Around spring last year, a preview of the film was carried out at Kariya's home. When his wife said, "The content of the film is political and we cannot accept it," Li reportedly answered, "I will send you an edited edition shortly." However, the couple has reportedly not been contacted by the director since.
...
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/entertainment/news/20080411p2a00m0et017000c.html

A honest request from ordinary people is ignored under the name of greater cause, showbiz, or whatever after all.
I think the coverage itself is good, but it was in the Entertainment section of the English version of Mainichi famous for its tabloid section, waiwai.

Sad.

 

[tokapi]

Commercial screening of documentary 'YASUKUNI' starts ..

TOKYO, May 3 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The first commercial screening of the controversial documentary film "YASUKUNI" by Chinese Director Li Ying started Saturday at Cine Amuse in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.

The film will run till May 9 at Cine Amuse, while Cinequanon in Tokyo's Yurakucho and the Seventh Art Theater in Osaka will start screenings on May 10, according to the distributor. Theaters in Hiroshima, Kyoto , Niigata and Okinawa have also decided to screen the film.

The film was originally scheduled to be shown in mid-April but several cinemas decided to cancel screenings after it became controversial following allegations by some lawmakers and critics that the film is anti-Japanese.

Source: Breitbart News Network


A follow up.

I think we shall wait and see if J-right wing groups fan out violent acts.

 

[Kirakira1232]

Oh wow. Any ideas if/when this movie will be shown outside of Japan?

 

[Elizabeth van Kampen]

I am interested, so I hope that the film will come to Europe. But it has to be translated in English first.
In my mind the Yasukuni museum is meant to honour all the Japanese soldiers who died for their country, Japan. Tell me if I am wrong.
It is not altogether clear to me where the film exactly stands for. Is it anti-Japan because WWII? Or is the film anti-Japan because of the war-criminals also been honoured in the Yasukuni museum? Or is there an other reason?

 

[Kirakira1232]

The Yasukuni shrine historically was yes to honour Japan's war dead which included those that invaded/commited war crimes during Japans attempts at invading Korea and China. Which is why Prime Ministerial visits to the shrine have caused much bad blood between Japan and Korea. But at the same time Japan is also divided on how to remember the war...A good book to read on this matter is "Nations and Nationalism in Japan."

 

[pipokun]

...
I think we shall wait and see if J-right wing groups fan out violent acts.

Ah... well... till when we should wait for something...