Japanese Devils

Riben guizi
Directed by Minoru Matsui
Produced by Minoru Matsui, Ken'ichi Oguri
Written by Minoru Matsui (screenplay)
Starring Yoshio Tsuchiya, Hakudo Nagatomi, Yoshio Shinozuka
Music by Ryosuke Sato
Cinematography Ken'ichi Oguri
Edited by Minoru Matsui
Release date
 2001
Running time
 160 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese

Japanese Devils (or Riben Guizi 日本鬼子) is a Japanese documentary about the war crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Army between 1931 and 1945.[1] The documentary is a series of interviews with 14 Japanese veterans of the Second Sino-Japanese War who recount rape, massacres, bio-experiments, and cannibalism. The accuracy of these interviews is contested by Japanese nationalist critics.

Minoru Matsui's inspiration for the film came after one of his original interviewees died. Feeling that it was his last chance to document the stories, he began the process of creating the documentary. Initial support was minimal, with all production companies showing no interest. The film did not gain any traction until it was entered into the Berlin Film Festival.[2]

The original title, Riben Guizi, is a Chinese phrase popular in the 1930s and 1940s used to express hatred for Japanese invaders.[1]

Controversy

The 14 former soldiers interviewed in the film were ex-POWs of China and were subjected to "re-education" by the Chinese government in the Fushun War Criminals Management Centre. This caused critics to question the accuracy of the interviews.[3]

Japanese ultra-nationalists were reported to have issued threats against the content of the film.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Oguri, Ken'ichi (2001). "Filmmakers Matsui Minoru and Oguri Ken'ichi Discuss 'Japanese Devils". AsiaSociety. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Kajimoto, Masato (23 April 2002). "Japanese Devils Shed Light on a Dark past". CNN. Hong Kong, China: Cable News Network. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Mark Schilling (December 5, 2001). "Face to face with Imperial evil". Japan Times. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  4. ↑ Heazle, Michael; Knight, Nick (2007). China-Japan Relations in the Twenty-first Century: Creating a Future Past?. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 247. ISBN 978-1-78195-623-6.
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