TV coverage, content & treatment / red army incident

[Aaron Gerow]

>By the way, through various contacts who are in touch with former 
>Sekigun types, I've heard that Adachi, Matsuda, and others fully 
>supported the attack on 9/11.

I was at a "welcome back" party for Adachi last year in October, I think, 
and one of the toasters detailed how thrilled he was when he saw the 
planes crash into the building. Adachi himself didn't say anything, but 
I'm sure he has to be careful since he's on parole.

>PS: Speaking of Harada, it was just announced in the Japanese media that 
>he will be appearing AS AN ACTOR  in a Hollywood film called "The Last 
>Samurai." It's to be directed by Edward Zwick, and he'll play across 
>from Tom Cruise. Plot is a Civil War vet, presumably Cruise, who goes to 
>Meiji Japan to train the new army and kick any remaining samurai ass. 
>He's captured and learns the way of the samurai, presumably from Harada 
>Masato, and then has to decide which way to choose. You can imagine the 
>rest.

Actually, the Japanese star of the film will be Matsudaira Ken (he's the 
truck driver's sidekick in Tampopo, in case you don't know him), so 
Harada will probably not be doing the teaching. He will be playing the 
official close to the emperor who hires Cruise. Among the other Japanese 
cast is Sanada Hiroyuki and the kabuki actor Nakamura Shichinosuke 
(Kankuro's son) playing the emperor. Interestingly, Japanese casting for 
the film was done by Narahashi Yoko, with whom I did a talk session in 
February at the American Center WITH Harada. Maybe that was one impetus 
behind the decision?

Aaron Gerow
Associate Professor
International Student Center
Yokohama National University
79-1 Tokiwadai
Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501
JAPAN
E-mail: gerow at ynu.ac.jp
Phone: 81-45-339-3170
Fax: 81-45-339-3171