Riben guizi (2001)

A documentary recording the testimony of fourteen former Japanese soldiers as they recount atrocities and war crimes committed during the Second World War, including the the infamous Unit ... See full summary »

Director:

Minoru Matsui

Writer:

Minoru Matsui (screenplay)

Stars:

Yoshio Tsuchiya, Hakudo Nagatomi, Yoshio Shinozuka

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Himself / Former 2nd Lieutenant, MP / Witness #1
Hakudo Nagatomi	...	Himself / Former Sergeant, Army / Witness #2
Yoshio Shinozuka	...	Himself / Former Corporal, Army / Witness #3
Taisuke Funyu	...	Himself / Former Sergeant Major, Army / Witness #4
Tsuyoshi Ebato	...	Himself / Former Sergeant, Army / Witness #5
Masao Shikada	...	Himself / Former 2nd Lieutenant, Army / Witness #6
Yoshio Suzuki	...	Himself / Former Sergeant Major, Army / Witness #7
Yasuji Kaneko	...	Himself / Former Corporal, Army / Witness #8
Masayo Enomoto	...	Himself / Former Sergeant Major, Army / Witness #9
Ken Yuasa	...	Himself / Former 1st Lieutenant, Army Medical Corps / Witness #10
Ichirô Kôyama	...	Himself / Former Sergeant, Army / Witness #11
Shôzô Tominaga	...	Himself / Former 1st Lieutenant, Army / Witness #12
Tetsuji Kubota	...	Himself / Former Sergeant Major, Army / Witness #13
Takeshi Kobayashi	...	Himself / Former Private 1st Class, Army / Witness #14

Storyline

A documentary recording the testimony of fourteen former Japanese soldiers as they recount atrocities and war crimes committed during the Second World War, including the the infamous Unit 731 medical experimentation group. Having been trained by their country to be nothing but killers, the soldiers claim to have become morally numb and unable to see non-Japanese as even human. Perhaps feeling some remorse for what they have done, they now choose to tell their stories for the world to hear.

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Plot Keywords:

unit 731 | world war two

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 December 2001 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Confessions of Imperial Army Soldiers from Japan's War Against China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Directors System Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

160 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A rare Japanese look at its own war crimes in China in WWII

A compelling, moving and frightening documentary, consisting of interviews with elderly Japanese veterans about their experiences in China (and Manchuria) during the war. Included in this group are former members of the infamous unit 731, known for its biological warfare tested on the Japanese.

The movie clearly spells out the atrocities committed by the Japanese upon Chinese civilians, and their recollections of their feelings and motivations at the time. While such films that deal with Nazi atrocities are not uncommon, there are few other Japanese-produced documentaries of this type. The only off-putting note is when the soldiers describe their capture by the Chinese at the end of the war, and how well they were treated during their captivity -- often with more than one soldier using the exact words to describe it, and accompanied by propaganda-looking footage from the time. But this can hardly detract from the power of the testimony of these soldiers and their descriptions of the atrocities they committed.