Japan Sinks (2006)

Japan will sink down to the deep sea. The governments only hope is evacuate all Japanese to some other countries.

Director:

Shinji Higuchi

Writers:

Sakyo Komatsu (novel) (as Sakyô Komatsu), Masato Kato (screenplay)

Stars:

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Ko Shibasaki, Etsushi Toyokawa

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi	...	Toshio Onodera
Ko Shibasaki	...	Reiko Abe (as Kô Shibasaki)
Etsushi Toyokawa	...	Yusuke Tadokoro
Mao Daichi	...	Saori Takamori
Mitsuhiro Oikawa	...	Shinji Yuki
Mayuko Fukuda	...	Misaki Kuraki
Hideko Yoshida	...	Tamae Tanokura
Akira Emoto	...	Prof. Fukuhara
Jun Kunimura	...	Kyosuke Nozaki
Kôji Ishizaka	...	Prime Minister Yamamoto
Ken'ichi Endô	...	Shin-ichirou Nakata
Takeshi Katô	...	Prof.Yamashiro
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hideaki Anno	...	Yamashiro's Son in law
Moyoco Anno	...	Yamashiro's Daughter
Harutoshi Fukui

Storyline

In the aftermath of a major earthquake under Suraga Bay, Misaki (a young girl) and Toshiro (a pilot of a deep sea submarine) are rescued from a ruined city street just as leaking gasoline ignites. Reiko Abe arrives just in time, lowered from a helicopter. Scientists predict that Japan will sink within 40 years, due to subduction of a tectonic plate to the west. However, Dr. Tadokoro, who leads an oceanic scientific team that includes Toshiro, calculates that this will happen far sooner, in only 338.54 days. He presents his findings to Prime Minister Yamamoto who decides to create a new department for impending disaster relief assigning Saoro Takamori to cover the new duties, since of all his ministers she will take it seriously but also bring "heart" to the process. As further earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions devastate Japan, the government pleads with other countries to take refugees. Yamamoto flies to China to negotiate relocations there, but his plane is destroyed by a...

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Plot Keywords:

earthquake | japan | tsunami | disaster | disaster film | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 July 2006 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Doomsday: The Sinking of Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$579,257 (Hong Kong) (25 August 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dentsu, J Dream, Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, the leading man, is a member of the very popular Japanese boy band SMAP. He has been in many TV dramas and movies.

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Connections

Remake of Tidal Wave (1973)

User Reviews

Excellent (in case you've never seen a Disaster-Movie before)

Epic disaster movie, but totally different from Hollywood-Stuff (may be a budget thing, too). It's more about personal drama and the Big Picture than all-out Smashing Mayhem and people running around, screaming and dying. The actual Sinking of Japan takes place in a few short destruction-sequences throughout the movie and they are superbly executed (for Japanese standards), in between it's all about Love, Hope, and Sorrow in lofty dialog. Kou Shibasaki and her good looks remain the best thing about this movie. One perfect Farewell-Scene is being spoiled by stupid R'nB-Music, the ending had me crying with affection, though, I suck.