<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div>On Nov 18, 2013, at 10:51 PM, John Gorman wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>In past discussions, I've read that the success of other asian cinema led to reawakening of Japanese interest in their own cinema. Could some of the same nationalist factors that have led to Abenomics also be partly responsible for the resurgence of the marketshare of Japanese films? <br><br>It seems reasonable that the bump of Japanese box office market share from 54.9% in 2011 to 65.7% in 2012 could at least partially be explained, as Kim brought up, by a domestic/national/nationalist turn in the wake of the Tohoku disaster.<br><br></div></blockquote></div><div><br></div>In 2006, when the reported number of Japanese films per year exceeded the number of foreign films, some observers pointed to the impact of neo-nationalism. Aaron wrote an interesting <a href="http://www.japanfocus.org/-Aaron-Gerow/1707">article</a> about this for Japan Focus. Doubtless, the spread of neo-nationalist sentiment is a factor in the overall numbers. <div><br></div><div>However, if you peruse the box office results for the past six years, with the exception of Ghibli productions, the top three box office draws have generally been foreign films. 2012 was something of a departure, because <i>Umizaru</i> and <i>Thermae Romae</i> were the top draws, while <i>Evangelion 3.0</i> and <i>Wolf Children</i> both outsold <i>The Avengers</i> and <i>Spider-Man</i>. It will be interesting to see whether this becomes a stable trend.</div><div><br></div><div>A more detailed analysis would be necessary here, as I scan the last six years of top draws, the resurgence of nationalist themes that Aaron analyzed in the 2005/2006 films doesn't appear to have been an overt current in more recent years. There was <i>Isoroku Yamamoto</i> in 2011, with Koji Yakusho, but that film felt somehow conflicted about its agenda.</div><div><br></div><div>As for the impact of 3.11, it doesn't really seem legible at the box office, at least not in terms of content. E.g., neither <i>Arekara</i> nor <i>Kibô no kuni</i> made it into the top 40 last year. Anecdotally, I feel there is not a strong interest either in fictional or documentary accounts of the disaster or its aftermath. This is unfortunate, because there are some compelling films. It may be simply that following all of the TV coverage and general stress, the last thing many people want to do is park in a theater and be asked to reflect on the disaster for two hours.</div><div><br></div><div>Going forward, I don't see that Abe's brand of nationalism will do anything except harm to the film industry. The 2% inflation policy and 8% sales tax increase will negatively impact production budgets. The state secrets protection bill currently under debate will have far-reaching consequences. The Federation of Cinema and Theatrical Workers Union (Eienroren) has publicly stated that the information-gathering activities of documentary filmmakers will be restricted by the new state secrets law. Basically, this bill and the new NSC seem to be about preparing Japan to join in the upcoming US war with China. </div><div><br></div><div>Perversely, PM Abe has paid lip service to the Japanese content industry, stating that he hopes it will be at the center of an economic recovery.</div><div><br></div><div>M.</div><div><div><div><br><div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>