(lit. ''The Never-setting Sun'') is a 2009

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese film directed by Setsurō Wakamatsu. It is also known as ''The Unbroken'' in the United States. ''Shizumanu Taiyō'' is based on a novel by

Toyoko Yamasaki was a Japanese novelist. A native of Osaka, Yamasaki worked as a journalist for the Mainichi Shimbun from 1945 to 1959 after graduating from Kyoto Women's University in Japanese literature. She published her first story, ''Noren'' (1957), a st ...

which centers on Hajime Onchi, an employee of "NAL," a large national airline. The first part of the novel focuses on Onchi's activity as the chairman of the employees'

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

in the 1960s; his reward for fighting for better working conditions for the staff is a series of postings abroad, to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, and finally

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, a destination to which the company does not even fly. The second and third parts of the novel take place in 1985 and chronicle the crash of a jumbo jet and its aftermath within the company. The events portrayed in the story are based upon actual events that took place at

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

. The character of Onchi is based upon JAL labor organizer and author Hirotaro Ogura, and the pivotal crash portrayed in the novel is based closely upon the crash of

Japan Airlines Flight 123 Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (JAL123) () was a scheduled domestic Japan Air Lines passenger flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Itami International Airport in Osaka. On August 12, 1985, the Boeing 747SR operating this flight suffered a sudden ...

(up to having the same flight number and taking place at the same location, date and time). Several politicians and JAL executives portrayed in the story are also based on real-world counterparts. JAL objected strongly to both the novel and the film, stating that they were defamatory to the airline and disrespected the victims of the actual Flight 123. The novel claims to be a work based upon real-life events, while the film claims to be entirely a work of fiction. The cast of the film includes

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nomi ...

as Onchi, with Kōji Ishizaka, Kyōko Suzuki, Yasuko Matsuyuki and Tomokazu Miura in supporting roles. The violininst

Diana Yukawa is a Japanese-born British solo violinist and composer. She has released four solo albums and one digital EP. Personal life Yukawa was born in Tokyo, Japan, to English ballet dancer Susanne Bayly and Japanese banker Akihisa Yukawa one month af ...

, whose father died in the real-world crash of JAL Flight 123, was involved in the music for the film. The premiere was on 24 October 2009 in

Ginza Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo, with numerous intern ...

. Yukawa performed "Little Prayer", the track she recorded for the film.

Awards and nominations

34th

Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the ''Hochi Shimbun , previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day. It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. ...

* Won: Best Film * Won: Best Actor -

33rd Japan Academy Prize * Won: Best Film * Won: Best Actor - Ken Watanabe

Cast

as Hajime Onchi *

Tomokazu Miura is a Japanese actor. Life and career Miura attended Hino high school in Tokyo. He was originally a member of rock group RC Succession, but was asked to leave the group by their management when they signed a record contract. However, impressed b ...

as Shiro Gyoten *

Teruyuki Kagawa is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor and boxing commentator. Biography Born in 1965, his parents are the kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke III and the cinema actress Yuko Hama. His grandmother is the film actress Sanae Takasugi. In the Kabuki world, ...

as Kazuo Yagi * Kyōka Suzuki as Ritsuko Onchi *

Erika Toda is a Japanese actress. Career Toda has starred in many Japanese television dramas, including ''Liar Game'', ''Code Blue'', '' Ryusei no Kizuna'', and ''Keizoku 2: SPEC''. She has also had supporting roles in many other popular TV dramas, such a ...

as Junko Onchi *

Go Kato Go, GO, G.O., or Go! may refer to: Arts and entertainment Games and sport * Go (game), a board game for two players * ''Travel Go'' (formerly ''Go – The International Travel Game''), a game based on world travel * Go, the starting position lo ...

as the prime minister Yasushi Tonegawa (based on

Yasuhiro Nakasone was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party from 1982 to 1987. He was a member of the House of Representatives for more than 50 years. He was best known for pushing through the ...

) *

Nenji Kobayashi is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 23rd Japan Academy Prize for ''Poppoya''. Kobayashi signed with Toei in 1961 and started his acting career with small roles. Filmography Film * '' Soshiki Bōryoku'' (1967 ...

as the deputy prime minister Takemaru (based on

Shin Kanemaru Shin Kanemaru (金丸信 ''Kanemaru Shin'', 17 September 1914 – 28 March 1996) was a Japanese politician who was a significant figure in the political arena of Japan from the 1970s to the early 1990s. He was also Director General of the Japa ...

) * Tōru Shinagawa as Issei Ryuzaki (based on Ryūzō Sejima) *

Kōji Ishizaka is a Japanese actor. Ishizaka graduated from Keio University with a B.L. degree. He serves as a special advisor for the Japan Plamodel Industry Association, and on 23 February 2009, he founded Rowguanes, a plastic model enthusiast group for th ...

as Masayuki Kunimi *

Tae Kimura is a Japanese actress. She won the Best Actress award at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize for ''All Around Us''. Biography Kimura starred in Ryosuke Hashiguchi's ''All Around Us''. Her performance in the film was described by Jason Gray as "one of ...

as Natsuko Suzuki *

Yasuko Matsuyuki is a Japanese actress and singer signed to Stardust Promotion. Biography Yasuko Matsuyuki was born in 1972 in Tosu, Saga. In 1989, while she was in high school, Matsuyuki won a Non-no fashion magazine contest. After graduating from Tosu Commer ...

as Miki Mitsui

References

External links

* 2009 films 2000s Japanese-language films Films directed by Setsurō Wakamatsu Japanese aviation films Picture of the Year Japan Academy Prize winners Japanese films based on actual events Toho films 2000s Japanese films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub