is a 2015
Japanese historical
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
drama film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
directed by
Masato Harada.
It was released on August 8, 2015.
[
A remake of '' Japan's Longest Day'' (1967), the film depicts the chain of command of Imperial Japan's government, military, and War Council under ]Hirohito
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
in the immediate period before the surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
in World War II between April 1945 to August 15, 1945, chronicling Kantarō Suzuki's term as the Prime Minister and the final months of War Minister Korechika Anami, the Allied firebombing of Tokyo on May 25, preparations for Operation Ketsugō
Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ...
, the leadership's response to the Potsdam Declaration and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...
, and the failed military coup intended to foil Japan's declaration of surrender.
Plot
The film recreates the chain of historical events from April to August 15, 1945, which determined the further fate of Japan: the last months of the command of the armed forces of Imperial Japan and the military council under the leadership of Hirohito in the period before Japan's surrender in World War II, the tenure of Kantaro Suzuki as prime minister and the last months of his tenure as Minister of War Korechika Anami, the Allied bombing of Tokyo, preparations for Operation Ketsugō, the reaction of the leadership to the Potsdam Declaration and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as a failed military coup designed to thwart Japan's surrender.
Cast
* Kōji Yakusho as General Korechika Anami
* Masahiro Motoki as Emperor Hirohito
* Tori Matsuzaka as Major Kenji Hatanaka
* Kenichi Yajima as Naidaijin Kōichi Kido
* Akaji Maro as Admiral Hisanori Fujita
*Ikuji Nakamura as Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai
* Kazuhiro Yamaji as Tōji Yasui
*Yuki Ikenobō as Empress Kōjun
* Shu Nakajima as General Hideki Tojo
*Yasumasa Oba as Lieutenant Colonel Masataka Ida
*Misako Renbutsu
is a Japanese actress. She won the Grand Prix award at the Super Heroine Audition Miss Phoenix in 2005.
Filmography
Dramas
* (2006) - as Rieko Ishikawa (lead)
* (2008) - as Nanase Hida (Tanaka) (lead)
* (2009) - as Hidemi Furusawa (lead)
...
as Kimiko
* Erika Toda (special appearance as Miss Yasuki)
* Kenichi Matsuyama (special appearance as Takeo Sasaki)
* Shinichi Tsutsumi as Chief Secretary Hisatsune Sakomizu
*Tsutomu Yamazaki
is a Japanese actor. He won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor in 1984 for '' The Funeral'' and '' Farewell to the Ark''. Yamazaki is well known for his role "Nenbutsu no Tetsu" on the television jidaigeki ''Hissatsu Shiokinin'' and ''Shin His ...
as Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki
Reception
The film grossed on its opening weekend and was number 10 at the box office.[ It had grossed by August 26.]
See also
*'' Japan's Longest Day'' (1967)
References
External links
*
*
2010s historical drama films
Japanese historical drama films
World War II films based on actual events
Films directed by Masato Harada
Films set in 1945
Pacific War films
Cultural depictions of Hirohito
2015 drama films
2015 films
Films about armies
2010s Japanese films
{{2010s-Japan-film-stub