Self-introduction/Yasukuni

[Junkerman John]

Cathy,

There haven't been many chances to show the Constitution film  
overseas, though First Run Icarus is distributing the English version  
to the educational market in the US. And we just heard recently than  
an Article 9-supporting group in Germany is doing a German-subtitled  
version for limited screenings in Berlin and a few other places.  
Here's their mail address (Fraudoktorkniffel at gmx.de).

John





On Apr 11, 2008, at 2:23 AM, starsweeper Cathy wrote:

> John,
>
> That was a very informative interview that you did with Li Ying for  
> The Japan Times & thank you for sharing his response to the  
> American flag-waving incident.  I think that there are so many  
> wonderful scenes in the film, that it is pretty amazing he was able  
> to catch them all (hence the rumours).  I guess as he's been  
> preparing the film over so many years, he must have had a lot of  
> footage to choose from.
>
> I felt a bit of trepidation before the Nippon Connection screening  
> that the film might be a disappointment after all the hype -- I  
> mean most of the people turning it into a furore haven't even seen  
> the film yet, have they?  I'm pretty sure that the film will  
> withstand the test of time.  It's a solid film - Li Ying was savvy  
> enough to allow the images to speak for themselves, which leaves  
> the door open to interpretation.
>
> Will 'Japan's Peace Constituion'' be getting released outside of  
> Japan?  I know it showed at the Vancouver Film Festival in 2006.
>
> Cathy
>
> http://nishikataeiga.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 10, 2008 at 6:55 PM, Junkerman John <jtj at rf7.so- 
> net.ne.jp> wrote:
> Hi folks:
>
> This is John Junkerman, documentary filmmaker/translator based in  
> Tokyo and Falmouth, Massachusetts. Recent films include "Power and  
> Terror: Noam Chomsky in Our Times" and "Eiga Nihon-koku  
> Kempo" (Japan's Peace Constitution). I also did the English  
> subtitles for "Yasukuni."
>
> Just got back from a press conference at the Diet to protest the  
> political pressure on "Yasukuni" (organized by filmmaker Watai  
> Takeharu ["Little Birds"], producer Yasuoka Takaharu, and video  
> journalist Doi Toshikuni). It was quite the scene. Some 200 press  
> there. Director Li Ying, just back from China, spoke, and some 15  
> journalists (the most prominent being Tahara Soichiro, and ailing  
> Chikushi Tetsuya sent a hand-written letter of support) and several  
> filmmakers (including Koreeda Hirokazu) spoke in support.
>
> Li Ying's remarks focused on his various visits to the sword smith  
> featured in the film, Kariya Naoji, after the film was finished. He  
> made several trips to Kochi  to show him the film and publicity  
> material and get his approval/understanding, and said that, while  
> his wife was initially put off by the film, he managed to alleviate  
> her concerns and Kariya gave him his blessing. This is now becoming  
> an issue, because LDP dietmember Arimura Haruko got in touch with  
> Kariya and announced that he told her he wanted his scenes deleted  
> from the film. Other media have done follow-up interviews and  
> reported that Kariya feels he was deceived, that Li misrepresented  
> the nature of his film. This looks like it might be the next point  
> of attack on the film.
>
> It does seem rather remarkable that members of the Diet would pay  
> this much attention to a film that hasn't been released yet, which  
> was the thrust of many of the comments of the journalists who spoke  
> in support. Some 20 theaters have stepped forward to screen the  
> film, which will undoubtedly get a much bigger audience now that  
> such a fuss has been made over it. The controversy has sparked an  
> examination of the methods of the Japanese media (while they  
> simultaneously bandwagon and problematize Kariya's portrayal in the  
> film) and issues of freedom of expression and government interference.
>
> After the press conference, I asked Li about the rumor at the  
> Nippon Connection screening that the scene in the film with the  
> American flag-waving supporter of Koizumi had been set up. He  
> responded with a hearty laugh, and said all he had to do was turn  
> on his camera and scenes like that appeared one after another. He  
> had no pre-knowledge of any of the events documented during the  
> 8/15 ceremonies at Yasukuni (including the protesters during the  
> singing of Kimigayo or the man who worships at the shrine with his  
> sword at night).
>
> All of those scenes suggest that Yasukuni itself is a provocative  
> place, and not just because the Chinese and Koreans make an issue  
> out of it. Certainly Li has a political perspective, but the point  
> of the film is to explore why Yasukuni is so provocative, to get  
> beyond the formulaic "Class-A war criminals/PM visits/foreign  
> governments protest." As the film makes clear, Yasukuni is at the  
> spiritual heart of the effort to deny Japan's war crimes, justify  
> Japanese aggression, and glorify militarism. All you need to do to  
> discover that is to go film there, as Li did. Since Inada is  
> closely associated with all of these efforts, her challenge of the  
> film as "politically biased" is deeply suspect.
>
> One last thing I learned at the press conference is that the Tokyo  
> Lawyers Association is holding a public screening and symposium on  
> the film later this month (I think it's the 23rd). The Yasukuni  
> scholar Takahashi Tetsuya, who so far has remained silent on the  
> film, is the featured speaker. There will also be a press  
> conference organized by the nationalist group Issuikai, whose  
> founder Suzuki Kunio appeared at today's press conference and  
> apologized for right-wing attacks on the film).
>
> All this leaves me wondering if the film is going to be talked to  
> death before anyone has a chance to see it.
>
>
>
>

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