'Yasukuni' director slams lawmaker for intervention after swordsmith wants his scenes deleted

Thursday 10th April, 05:01 AM JST

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15 Comments

nutsagain at 07:58 AM JST - 10th April

"

But Kariya’s 83-year-old wife said, ‘‘It was completely different from what I had thought, so I gave up watching it halfway through and said, ‘I detest it.’ I’m concerned that it might cause a stir.

’’ Interesting that she didn't complain it was fiction. Yeah, just the kind of 'stir' the broth of 'truth' needs about Japan's unremitting and deep reluctance to look at its past
kemiko at 08:11 AM JST - 10th April

If not total deletion, a certain protection of his identity could have been given to the swordsmith. The media is powerful and could change people’s lives. Assuming the smith agreed to appear and comment in a good faith not envisaging the consequence of his appearance in the movie, he should be given a right to affect the way he would be presented in the movie. [ I remember in some movie of Michael Moore some person( or maybe persons) claimed he/she is or they are misquoted. But Moore did not change his movie. ]
GrouchyGaijin at 09:13 AM JST - 10th April

Can't figure out if the politician is acting as an intermediary for other interested parties. But, a subtitle of this movie could well be "Japan's Inconvenient Truth" and THAT's something Ishihara and the Black Van Boys are just gonna have to live with. It would appear that Mr. Kariya's fears of retribution might be well founded, as others who have dared to be involved with Japan's coming to terms with the past have suffered as a result. Don't you just love Japanese democracy!
greenteaonsens at 11:02 AM JST - 10th April

This Chinese director may wanna turn his attention to his homeland for his next "documentary". Plenty of nastiness, denial and corruption there for him to highlight!

Delete the scenes if the swordmaker requests it - anything less is just political douchebaggery on a par with Michael Moore (shudders).
Ninjazilla at 01:06 PM JST - 10th April

Wouldnt they have signed something?Or in Japan is it always just oral agreement?
telecasterplayer at 02:28 PM JST - 10th April

Li Ying, stash that directors cut overseas! Michael Moore stashed a master print of "SiCKO" in Canada when the Bush junta started making threatening noises. Do it before the liverspots on the LDP decide no one must see it.
Desiderata1967 at 04:39 PM JST - 10th April

Ninjazilla - signed or oral, contracts in Japan have little meaning unfortunately.

Who cares what these two idiots think! They agreed to allow the director to do what he needed. If anything, Li should say 'Fair enough. Return all the money it cost to make that part of the movie - a couple of hundred thousand dollars or more should do it and we'll call it quits.' Bet they'd shrink back into their workshop quicker than a worm coming out in winter!
nigelboy at 04:55 PM JST - 10th April

Sorry Desiderata1967.

It appears Li pursuaded Kariya by telling him that he was making a film about his art. Not only that Li used a photo of a JDSF member on his pamphlet without permission. Also, several unauthorized scenes were shot inside the Jinjya. Furthermore, the co-sponsor of the film included several Chinese companies which was not included in the original application nor did he notify the Agency of the changes.
Azrael at 06:02 PM JST - 10th April

Whether the Japanese rightist lawmakers succeed in squashing Freedom of Speech in their country and slam their views on the nationals or not, I certainly hope there will be DVDs for sale online on international shopping websites, with the documentary whole and sound as it was shown in various international cinema festivals. That's another way in which the documentary may be accessible to the Japanese public.
medievaltimes at 08:43 AM JST - 11th April

Could you please catch up to the year 2008 Japan???
skipthesong at 03:26 PM JST - 11th April

most of the people here proclaiming the movie to be ad, I find, are the first ones quell freedom of speech on things they don't like..

Hopefully, Japan won't become like America
Pukey2 at 09:36 AM JST - 12th April

Maybe one of the reasons why he filmed what he did was because he couldn't find any freedom in his own country and thought Japan was a democracy where freedom of speech was a given right. I guess that bubble just burst.
skipthesong at 12:03 PM JST - 12th April

freedom of speech was a given right." Yes but like so many countries lately, that right is on only if you agree with the controlling powers.
rtrhead1 at 08:15 AM JST - 15th April

How did America take away the freedom of speech? You will not see that happen here. Take a look at Michael Moore. He says whatever he wants, puts it in a movie, and you can CHOOSE to see it or not. Our politicians don't jump in and say you can't show that.
Triring at 08:46 AM JST - 15th April

The intervention by Japanese lawmakers are only natural since the Japanese government funded part of the movie. Michael Moore does not recieve money from the US government so he is entitled to do what he wants but when recieving money from the Japanese government then they become stakeholders giving them the right to say.