Japan's Longest Day (1967)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Kihachi Okamoto

Writers:

Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay), Soichi Oya (book)

Stars:

Seiji Miyaguchi, Rokkô Toura, Chishû Ryû

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Seiji Miyaguchi	...	Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo
Rokkô Toura	...	Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Shunichi Matsumoto
Chishû Ryû	...	Prime Minister Baron Kantaro Suzuki
Sô Yamamura	...	Navy Minister Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai
Toshirô Mifune	...	War Minister General Korechika Anami
Yoshio Kosugi	...	Minister of Public Welfare Keisuke Okada
Takashi Shimura	...	Information Bureau Director Hiroshi Shimomura
Etsushi Takahashi	...	Lt. Colonel Masutaka Ida - Military Affairs Section
Takao Inoue	...	Lt. Colonel Masahiko Takeshita - Military Affairs Section
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	...	Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Tadaatsu Ishiguro
Ushio Akashi	...	President of the Privy Council Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma

Storyline

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 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 unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. When the military plots a coup to overthrow the Emperor's civilian government, Anami must face the choice between his desires and loyalty to his Emperor.

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Plot Keywords:

emperor | japanese | japan | atomic bomb | soldier | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

26 March 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Japan's Longest Day

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

157 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was produced to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Toho Studios.

User Reviews

One of the great anti-war movies.

What is a soldier, who has been told from first day of his enlistment that surrender is not only unacceptable but is treason, to do when he learns that his government, including his own military superiors, are going to surrender? This movie pulls no punches in showing what happened when that exact scenario occurred in Japan in the closing days of World War Two. The two words that can best describe how the Japanese soldiers must have felt are betrayal and despair. The movie further underscores the essential hypocrisy of the Japanese imperial leadership and the sudden realization that everything they had been spouting about the Bushido spirit was just hot air, mere hyperbole. As the movie so graphically shows, the junior Japanese officers who revered their generals simply could not accept what seemed to them a shameless repudiation of principles that they were told were sacrosanct. The movie is excellent for several reasons: first, it tells a compelling story; second, it has an all-star cast; third, it is structured as a documentary; fourth, the story is candidly and forthrightly portrayed; fifth, the movie has excellent continuity; sixth, it avoids becoming moralistic; and seventh, it educates the audience about a critical event in history.