Introduction

Japan’s Longest Day, also known as The Emperor and the General, is a 1967 movie directed by Kihachi Okamoto.

Outline

The subject of the majority of the movie is the period between noon on August 14, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito made the decision to surrender to the Allies in World War II and noon on August 15, 1945, when the emperor’s taped message announcing the surrender was broadcast to the Japanese people. Joseph L. Anderson describes the film as “a meticulous reconstruction of the day Japan surrendered and thus ended the Pacific War.

Several of Japan’s best known actors of the day participated in the film. These included Chishū Ryū as Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki, Toshirō Mifune as War Minister Korechika Anami, Takashi Shimura as Information Bureau Director Hiroshi Shimomura and Sō Yamamura as Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai. Tatsuya Nakadai serves as the narrator.

Trivia & Goofs

• Japan’s Longest Day was released in Japan on 12 August 1967, close to the anniversary of the surrender.
• This started a trend of film releases known as the 8.15 series of World War II films released at the anniversary, which included Okamoto’s 1971 film The Battle of Okinawa. It became the second highest grossing film in Japan in 1967.
• Shinobu Hashimoto won the Kinema Junpo Award for best screenplay for this movie.
• The film was re-released theatrically in Japan on 21 November 1982 as part of Toho’s 50th anniversary.
• A remake of Japan’s Longest Day, identically titled in Japanese but released in English under the title The Emperor in August, was issued in 2015 by Shochiku, directed by Masato Harada.

Production & Filming Details

• Director: Kihachi Ikamoto.
• Producers: Tomoyuki Tanaka and Sanezumi Fujimoto.
• Writers: Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay) and Soichi Oya (book).
• Narrator: Tatsuya Nakadai.
• Music: Masaru Sato.
• Production: Toho.
• Release Date: 03 August 1967 (Japan).
• Running Time: 157 minutes.
• Country: Japan.
• Language: Japanese.

YouTube Link