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Japan govt, media groups concerned as shrine film pulled
2008-04-01
A controversial documentary on a Tokyo war shrine looks unlikely to be screened in Japan amid pressure from right-wingers, prompting the government and media groups to cry foul on Tuesday. The local production office of Chinese director Li Ying said the decision by three cinemas in Tokyo and one in western Osaka to cancel planned screenings of "Yasukuni" meant that it might not be shown at all in Japan. "We have to review the entire plan and start from scratch. Movies are usually premiered from major cities like Tokyo to regional cities," said a staff member who asked not to be named. The documentary looks at the controversy surrounding the Yasukuni shrine, which was built in 1869 and now honours 2.5 million war dead -- including convicted war criminals from World War II. The site has become a rallying point for Japan's far right -- but in much of Asia, it is seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Kisaburo Tokai, the education and culture minister, told a press conference that the government would be concerned "if some form of restriction were imposed on freedom of expression." Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, the government's top spokesman, told reporters: "It is inappropriate that pressure or harassment affect freedom of expression." The Mass Media Information and Culture Union, which groups media unions defending freedom of expression, issued a statement complaining that the movie is "about to be crushed by harassment by right-wing activists." "Freedom of expression through films was violated, which the Japanese film industry had never experienced before," it said. Theater operator Humax Cinema Inc. said it feared for the safety of female employees at its Ginza Cinepatos in Tokyo after a group of nationalists rallied in front of the cinema last month. "Their shouting is so loud that you can hear it even while watching a movie," said executive manager Akio Nakamura. "We have many female employees at the theatre. They feel afraid. That was the largest reason for our decision," he said. The protests also affected neighbouring businesses. "That day was a national holiday and I didn't have many customers. I dosed off right here but woke right up as I heard loud shoutings outside. We never had anything like that before," a restaurant owner in the building told AFP. Japanese nationalists and right-wing activists are known for their ardent campaigns. Their vans, bearing nationalistic slogans and national flags, are often seen driving around cities blaring protests through loudspeakers. "I believe we sure can restrict the freedom of speech when foreigners do something against Japan here," Daisuke Hariya, the leader of one far-right group, Toitsu Sensen Giyugun (United Front Volunteer Army), told AFP. "They (the Chinese) are allowing blatant anti-Japan education," he said. "Why don't we play the same game?" The controversy over the movie erupted after a number of Japanese lawmakers took the rare step last month of holding a private advance viewing of the film, which was made partially through an arts grant from Japan's government. Ruling party member Tomomi Inada, who first raised questions about the grant, said the main concern was about the funding, not the screening of the film. "No matter what content of a film it is, it should not be allowed that politicians criticise it and force it to be cancelled," she said in a statement. Hariya said right-wing nationalists had heard about the movie's content from lawmakers. "We got the cue from the movement there that the right-wing groups also should move," he said. The 120-minute film looks at the shrine through the viewpoint of an ageing maker of swords that were traditionally used by Japanese military officers. It won the best documentary award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival earlier this month. "What I am hoping to do with this film is look at history and help people to realise that there are different sides to every story," Li told AFP last year at the Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea.
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