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IMDbPro

Japan's Longest Day

Original title: Nihon no ichiban nagai hi
  • 19671967
  • 2h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
877
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
42,479
11,316
Japan's Longest Day (1967)
DramaHistoryWar
Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister o... Read allFollowing the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of... Read allFollowing the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
877
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
42,479
11,316
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Kihachi Okamoto
    • Writers
      • Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay)
      • Soichi Oya(book)
    • Stars
      • Seiji Miyaguchi
      • Rokkô Toura
      • Chishû Ryû
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Kihachi Okamoto
    • Writers
      • Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay)
      • Soichi Oya(book)
    • Stars
      • Seiji Miyaguchi
      • Rokkô Toura
      • Chishû Ryû
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 9User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations

    Photos12

    Toshirô Mifune in Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Takashi Shimura in Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Toshirô Mifune in Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Jun Tazaki in Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Chishû Ryû in Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Toshirô Mifune in Japan's Longest Day (1967)
    Japan's Longest Day (1967)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    Seiji Miyaguchi
    • Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo
    Rokkô Toura
    Rokkô Toura
    • Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Shunichi Matsumoto
    Chishû Ryû
    Chishû Ryû
    • Prime Minister Baron Kantaro Suzuki
    Sô Yamamura
    Sô Yamamura
    • Navy Minister Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai
    Toshirô Mifune
    Toshirô Mifune
    • War Minister General Korechika Anami
    Yoshio Kosugi
    • Minister of Public Welfare Keisuke Okada
    Takashi Shimura
    Takashi Shimura
    • Information Bureau Director Hiroshi Shimomura
    Etsushi Takahashi
    Etsushi Takahashi
    • Lt. Colonel Masutaka Ida - Military Affairs Section
    Takao Inoue
    • Lt. Colonel Masahiko Takeshita - Military Affairs Section
    Tadao Nakamaru
    Tadao Nakamaru
    • Lt. Colonel Jiro Shiizaki - Military Affairs Section
    Toshio Kurosawa
    • Major Kenji Hatanaka - Military Affairs Section
    Akira Kitchôji
    • General Yoshijiro Umezu - Chief of the Army General Staff
    Haruo Yamada
    • Admiral Soemu Toyoda - Chief of the Naval General Staff
    Ryôsuke Kagawa
    Ryôsuke Kagawa
    • Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Tadaatsu Ishiguro
    Ushio Akashi
    • President of the Privy Council Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma
    Isao Tamagawa
    • Colonel Okitsugu Arao - Chief of Military Affairs Section
    Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi
    Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi
    • Admiral Takijiro Onishi - Vice-Chief of the Naval General Staff
    Tôru Takeuchi
    • Naval Surgeon Kobayashi
    • Director
      • Kihachi Okamoto
    • Writers
      • Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay)
      • Soichi Oya(book)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Hakuô Matsumoto plays the Emperor Hirohito in this film, the first time Hirohito (or any living Japanese emperor) was played by a Japanese actor in a Japanese film. Matsumoto subsequently portrayed Hirohito's grandfather, the Meiji Emperor, in Battle of the Japan Sea (1969).
    • Connections
      Referenced in Shin Godzilla (2016)

    User reviews9

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Okamoto's epic is informative, but also slightly misleading through its subjectivity.
    Okamoto Kihachi's "Nihon no ichiban nagai hi" (Japan's Longest Day, 1967) is an epic film made to honor the 35th anniversary of the Toho Studios. Based on actual history, the film relates the ending of World War II from the Japanese perspective: the final 24 hours before Hirohito's famous radio speech. With a running time of 157 minutes, the film takes its time to paint a thorough portrait of this important day, and the Japanese mentality at the time. We are introduced to dozens and dozens of characters, and the star-studded cast includes many of Japan's most famous actors.

    There is a lot of merit to this film. At times, it feels almost like a documentary, and the audience gets a very detailed look into the discussions surrounding Japan's decision to surrender. Though the film is long, it is never boring, and Okamoto never loses his grip on the narrative either. This director sometimes - especially in chambara films - has trouble keeping his films cohesive in style: many of Okamoto's films juxtapose entertainment and serious subject matters, and this does not always work for him, as it can lead to the films becoming inconsistent viewing experiences. That does not happen here. Okamoto is serious through and through, but also manages to abstain from preaching. The number of different perspectives in the film is admirable, and also increases its resemblance of the similar-sounding predecessor "The Longest Day" (1962), which was about the Allied invasion of Normandy.

    However, the film's Japanese perspective also translates itself into subjectivity, which makes some elements of the film thematically misleading. In the aftermath of the war, during the American occupation, the Japanese could not make war films. When they returned to the subject in the 1960's, it was a bit of a challenge. Like any nation, Japan wanted to honor their fallen soldiers, but also to denounce the war. After the war, the Japanese majority started to believe, that the war had been caused by a small group of militarists within the country's leadership. This eased the atmosphere, as it was viewed that the majority of Japanese people had nothing to feel guilty about. This kind of black and white division neglects the general attitudes held by the people before the war, the heavy nationalism that lead to imperialism, and the Japanese way of considering themselves better than their surrounding nations and thus entitled to annex territories from them. The division into good characters and bad ones is very much visible in "Japan's Longest Day". Much of the government officials in the film are portrayed as sensible and yearning for peace. The prime minister Suzuki - who was anti-war in real life, as well - is portrayed by Ryu Chishu, actor known for his roles as wise father figures in the films of Ozu. The government is shown to be clean, and thinking what is best for the people. To counter this, there is a small group of militarists who oppose the notion of surrendering. They are shown to be hot-headed, and dumb. I know the film is based on reality, but this kind of a divide between good and bad characters does not feel realistic. The film's finest performance is by Mifune Toshiro as Japan's minister of war, because his character is shown to be nuanced. He is torn between his loyalty to the emperor and his worry about the soldiers coping to the situation. In the scenes between Mifune and Ryu, the general atmosphere of defeat gets its finest presentation.

    Another issue with the subjectivity is one that plagues many Japanese war films. The film shows us the suffering of the Japanese people during the war, but fails to mention the suffering caused by them. Also, in the narration by Nakadai Tatsuya, it is noted that the peace enjoyed by Japan in the present day, was earned by the soldiers who died in the war. Again, this is a nice sentiment for the fallen, but it would ring more true to the international audience, had Japan not been the aggressor who initiated the war.

    All in all, the flaws are minor, and are pretty understandable: of course a Japanese film is going to be Japanese with its perspective. The film is admirably anti-war, as are most Japanese war films. And as it should be.
    helpful•3
    0
    • topitimo-829-270459
    • Feb 29, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 26, 1968 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Самый длинный день Японии
    • Production company
      • Toho Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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