Original subtitles

Co-produced by TOHO AND SHINSEI EIGASHA

TOHO CO., LTD.

OUR NATION'S MILITARY HAS ALWAYS SERVED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE EMPEROR

- IMPERIAL EDICT TO OUR SOLDIERS

UNDER THE FLAG OF THE RISING SUN

Produced by SEISHI MATSUMARU and SHOHEI TOKIZANE

Based on the book by SHOJI YUKI

Screenplay by KANETO SHINDO, NORIO OSADA and KINJI FUKASAKU

Cinematography by HIROSHI SEGAWA

Production design by TATSUYA IRINO

Music by HIKARU HAYASHI

CAST

TETSURO TAMBA

SACHIKO HIDARI

ISAO NATSUYAGI SHINJIRO EBARA

SANAE NAKAHARA, YUMIKO FUJITA NOBORU MITANI, TAKETOSHI NAITO

KANEMON NAKAMURA

Directed by KINJI FUKASAKU

NATIONAL MONUMENT TO FALLEN SOLDIERS Twenty-sixyears after the war,

it still pains our hearts

to recall the many who fell in battle, those who lost their lives

to the ravages of war,

and the families they left behind.

EMPEROR AND CONSORT

I stand here before the citizens of our nation,

praying for world peace and our national progress,

in solemn tribute to those who perished.

AND YET, AMONG THE THREE MILLION JAPANESE MILITARY CASUALTIES

SOME ARE DENIED A PLACE AMONG OUR HONORED HEROES

SERGEANT KATSUO TOGASHI JAPANESE ARMY

DESERTED IN THE FACE OF THE ENEMY IN AUGUST, 1945, ON NEW GUINEA

EXECUTED

1971

MINISTRY OF WELFARE

REJECTED CLAIM OF SAKIE TOGASHI

RESEARCH SECTION CHIEF

I've kept you waiting.

You've been filing claims since 1952,

when the Survivor Benefits law first passed.

I was transferred here in April, so your case is new to me.

You file your claims on the anniversary of defeat.

That's right.

Is there a reason?

It's unclear exactly when my husband died...

So I chose August 15th for the anniversary of his death.

Please look at this.

DEATH NOTIFICATION NEXT OF KIN: SAKIE TOGASHI

...DATE OF_______, AUGUST

DIED IN COMBAT (TEXT REVISED) DECEASED...

Honey, there's another new Section Chief.

How many times do I have to tell this same story over and over again?

How can I forget the moment

when I first got that notice...

1946

Didn't my husband die in combat?

Well, it's just...

Why was it changed from "died in combat" to plain "deceased"?

Well, for instance, if he died of illness...

If he'd been ill, they'd write something like "Combat-related..."

Besides, this notice isn't dated.

I won't accept this crazy postcard.

The truth is...

Togashi san was executed.

Executed?

We'd only been married for 6 months.

TEMPORARY DRAFT NOTICE

1942

Don't you worry.

I'll be fine.

Look after yourself.

Here I'm leaving you to fend for yourself when you're pregnant...

Honey.

I wept in the toilet.

I couldn't bear to let you see me cry.

Five months later, Tomoko was born.

Did you ever get the picture I sent?

WAR ENDS

AUGUST 15, 1945

Finally, the war had ended

and I was sure you'd come home...

I couldn't even die,

because of Tomoko.

Why's she workin' her ass off like that?

She has to wear herself out to get any sleep.

A widow with youthful passion.

APRIL, 1952

MILITARY FAMILY SURVIVOR BENEFITS LAW ENACTED

My husband died in the war, too.

How come I don't deserve what the others get?

Well, that's because in your case,

Togashi san died following a court-martial.

And just who saw my husband's court-martial?

Nobody saw it, but the government, the Welfare Ministry, sent a notice.

Please don't say that.

Please let me see the Village Chief! Please!

Thank you.

And your family now?

My daughter has married.

- And grandchildren? - Yes.

That must be a comfort.

Until my husband can rest in peace, I'll have no comfort.

I can understand your feelings.

However, under current law,

survivors of court-martialed soldiers receive no benefits at all.

And your particular case falls into that category...

I don't come back year after year because I want military benefits.

I'm here because I want to know the truth- was he really executed for desertion?

That's why I come.

But it's all here in the military records of war casualties... You saw it.

But I hear that the military patched together those records of the dead...

in the confusion, right after the war.

I've heard they're unreliable.

Who says so?

The captain said so in the letter he wrote me.

Oh, this man I've received a petition from him, too...

This petition is based on pure speculation...

Also, according to the colonel,

there's no record of the court-martial's verdict.

See?

Apparently, all classified documents were burned at the end of the war.

If that's true, there's no proof that he was sentenced to death.

Which is why we have to trust this military record of casualties.

Unless you've got some other persuasive evidence.

That's exactly right.

I really understand how you feel, but until you prove your husband's innocence,

I'm in no place to overturn my predecessor's decision.

As I left the house this morning,

this is what my daughter said.

Mom, why don't you give it a rest?

They'll never listen to you anyway.

Besides, do you know what people say?

She's got some nerve begging for her husband's pension.

In the old days,

the whole village would have shunned a deserter's family forever.

But this is what I said to her.

"You can't stop other people from talking."

It's not like it's anything new.

Back when my daughter married...

Watch your step.

Don't go peeping at those newlyweds.

If it's too much for you, come to me.

I'll be happy to give you some advice!

They may just have been joking,

but it hit me hard.

People congratulated me over my son-in-law,

but it all only made me realize how horribly I miss him.

My love...

My love!

I'll never give up.

Because if I give up, my husband will never rest in peace.

It's been 26 years since he died.

All the other survivors,

attend the War Memorial Service with the Emperor

and offer chrysanthemums...

Why is it only my husband,

without a shred of evidence...

I, too...

would like to join the Emperor...

and offer a chrysanthemum for my husband.

I was remiss...

The truth is,

we also take this matter very seriously...

and sent inquiries to everyone from your husband's unit.

But unfortunately, we haven't received any meaningful responses.

However, there are 4 men here, who never answered our inquiries.

I'm sure each has his own reasons,

but if you contact them directly, as his widow,

perhaps they'd be willing to share new information with you.

Why don't you try to meet them?

TSUGUO TERAJIMA FORMER PRIVATE FIRST CLASS, ARMY

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

I never got any letter from the Ministry of Welfare.

What are those bureaucrats thinking when they say that?

If I had gotten anything, I would've written right back.

Because I owe my very life to Togashi san.

To my husband?

Yes, that's right.

What an awful front that was.

1943

On New Guinea, then,

the Americans and Australians had begun fighting back.

Our unit shipped out from La Paul as reinforcements...

But as we were crossing the Dampier Straits...

DESTROYERS-3 SUNK

TRANSPORT SHIPS-7 SUNK

WEAPONS AND ORDNANCE-2,500 TONS SUNK

PERSONNEL - 3,600 DROWNED

Our strategy was impossible from the start.

Less than 800 of our men made it ashore.

We attempted to locate

the established defensive units.

In this situation, we could all depend on Sgt. Togashi.

Don't shoot.

Don't shoot.

Don't move.

Sgt. Togashi!

Our scouts are in danger, rescue them.

- No point. - What?

Yank's surrounded us, wants to flush us out.

- Move now, we're in their hands. - How do you know?

Experience.

You mean to abandon our troops!

Your carelessness made us easy targets.

Listen up!

Our platoon will attack the enemy on their flank, attacking at...

The River Styx Stay put or you're dead.

Damn you!

Insubordination I'll have you court-martialed.

The rest of you, follow me.

The plateau ahead is your objective

Attack!

There's no winning in dying.

Thanks to him, not a single man in our unit died.

But it was the beginning of hell on earth...

SEPTEMBER, 1943 U.S. ARMY LANDS ON EASTERN LAE

AUSTRALIAN AIR UNITS ATTACK WESTERN LAE

JAPANESE ARMY ABANDONS LAE

2,200 DIE OF STARVATION IN MOUNTAINS

OCTOBER, 1943 U.S. ARMY ATTACKS FINSCHHAFEN

AUSTRALIANS LAND ON CAPE ANT

JANUARY, 1944 U.S. ARMY LANDS ON CAPE GUNBI

JAPANESE ARMY RETREATS TO MADANG

3,500 STARVE IN MOUNTAINS

APRIL, 1944-JAPANESE DEFEATED AT HANSA, WEWAK, AITAPE

At that time,

our unit was stranded in the jungle.

The minute we walked out of there, the enemy would've picked us off.

We were out of ammunition and food,

and a third of our men, suffering from malnutrition or malaria,

could neither move forward nor retreat.

Those of us who were sick, whispered among ourselves...

Piss your pants, you've only got 3 days left.

Can't speak, it's 2 days.

Can't blink means you’re dead,

tomorrow.

How's it going?

Don't you need to piss?

Up we go, here we go.

You OK?

We finally got orders for an offensive.

Tonight.

Any man who can't walk... You understand.

Suicide, isn't it?

Yeah, right.

Will it be grenades or cyanide?

- Air. - Air?

They take an empty syringe...

and force air into your heart.

Is that how you want to die?

If not, just beat it.

I hear there are still Japanese troops 30 kilos west of us.

- You'll manage. - But...

Just listen to me You've got a chance, take it.

If you decide you're better off dead, use this.

It sure beats an empty syringe.

See you.

Sergeant.

That was the last I ever saw of Sgt. Togashi.

Which means,

my husband didn't desert, did he?

Right.

I'm the one who deserted.

Togashi san died nobly in battle.

I'm sure with his instincts, he charged the enemy brilliantly.

Charge!

Would you mind telling the Ministry of Welfare the story you just told me?

You mean, me?

Yes, I'd be grateful.

But...

it's not like I saw him die in combat.

I doubt they'd take it as proof.

But you're a living witness.

Nobody's going to accuse you of lying.

Please, Terajima san.

It's been 10 years...

since I moved to this place,

a virtual garbage heap.

On the map, it's part of Tokyo,

but I have no citizen's rights Legally, I don't exist...

I've never been to town, not once since I came here.

I have no need to go.

I hate seeing people, talking to them, in the city that's so cleaned up.

No, I don't have the confidence.

But...

But Terajima san, you can't...

I would like to help you and repay the debt I owe Togashi san,

but I must ask you to spare me this.

I'm sure you'll meet with the other men.

But no matter what anyone says, Togashi san died nobly in combat.

That's what I believe.

TOMOTAKA AKIBA FORMER CORPORAL, ARMY

Wanna fight!

You really shouldn't.

Say there.

Say there I know how you feel.

- Bully. - I'm not a bully.

I really do know how you feel.

But you see, Japan lost the war, 26 years ago.

What? What'd you say!

I said, Japan lost, 26 years ago.

Lost? You idiot!

When did Japan ever lose a war?

The Sino and Russian wars, Manchurian Incident, all victories.

After that, we got creamed.

- Creamed? - It's true. Ask anyone here.

- Did we really lose? - No, we didn't!

Listen to what he says.

- What country are you from? - He says we didn't lose.

He's just lying, go ask the guy behind him.

- Did we really lose? - We sure did.

- He must be an enemy man. - Are you nuts!

How dare you insult our paying customers!

Then, what have I been doing all this time?

You've been pointing the tip of your rifle,

charging at airplanes on South Pacific Islands.

What an idiot.

I said, I understand.

What's this draft notice, then?

I definitely remember the name, Togashi.

Can't place the face...

Don't you think you met him?

We were in the same unit, so no doubt I did meet him.

Back in those days, everybody looked alike.

Skinny necks, bulging eyes,

hollowed out cheeks.

Besides,

no one had enough humanity left to recognize anyone's face.

But Terajima san told me,

he charged nobly and died in combat.

Well, that's fine, then.

But he didn't actually see him die...

I want to know the truth.

Well, he's not going to badmouth his Sergeant.

But that doesn't help you much, right?

Does that mean you know the truth?

No, not necessarily.

But from what I remember,

back then, nobody was nobly charging anything, even when they wanted to.

So there was no offensive, no charging the enemy?

Not even close.

We were in no condition.

In our unit, there were 12 cannons

worthless, every last one of them,

1 working machine gun out of 48.

Only two thirds of us even had standard-issue rifles.

The rest had bamboo spears They ordered us to fight with spears.

So back then, you did exactly what you do on the stage now.

Weapons and ammo weren't the worst,

we didn't even have any chow.

They say tea will stave off hunger, but there was no water in the jungle.

What a ridiculous war.

The big shots in charge of tactics didn't have a clue.

There was no way we could win.

As defeats mounted, some were captured,

others abandoned the front lines.

But the division big-shots...

No matter! Kill any man who tries to escape.

Who needs a court-martial!

But the thing is...

it wasn't just the enlisted men that ran.

Officers were right there with 'em.

Scum!

You scum! You're an officer! Have you no shame!

Deserters get the firing squad!

Butterflies! Butterflies!

Mommy!

Acting like you've lost your mind.

Asshole!

Fool!

Get back to the front!

The soldiers who couldn't fight or run away,

had no choice but to wander into the jungle.

And that's where we caught and ate them...

Snakes and lizards, go without saying.

Worms, spiders, every last insect.

As long as it was alive, it was OK.

When it came to food, it was every man for himself.

A mouse!

The strong ones

went high into the mountains to raid local farmers.

Impossible!

It's impossible my husband could have...

I'm not saying everyone did that stuff.

I know, I remember.

It was... a little before the end of the war.

I was on my way to Regimental HQ to collect orders.

- What! - Potato thieves!

How dare you!

You accuse my husband of stealing potatoes!

Where's your proof! Proof!

I have no proof.

But I'm positive it was a Sergeant.

That's the only case I can remember

of anyone being executed,

right before the end of the war.

Awful...

Awful...

Sir, it's about time.

Ma'am, please don't hold it against me.

There's no definite proof.

That's a nightmare I reeled in,

by forcing myself to relive those memories.

It's just possible that everything I've said,

is just bits of my comedy routine.

Here I am alive and well...

but this is just the dregs of my life.

My real life... ended over there...

Mom, why won't you give it a rest?

You may have your heart set on this, but what's the point?

Honey.

Which of them is telling the truth?

One says you charged nobly,

the other called you a potato thief.

You should've called it quits after you got the noble story.

But you had to wander all over.

What if you get sick? Dad'll never rest in peace.

What are you doing?

I'm going back to Tokyo first thing in the morning.

- I may have to stay the night. - Mom!

Let her do what she likes.

I know best how to give Dad his peace.

He won't rest in peace until the truth is told.

NOBUYUKI OCHI FORMER MILITARY POLICE SERGEANT

Excuse me, are you Ochi san?

Yes.

I'm...

Is that so?

But I can hardly tell you,

which story is true.

At least I want to know,

whether he was executed.

- You said he was Togashi san? - Yes, Sgt. Togashi.

I don't remember any Sgt. Togashi.

As far as Sergeants go...

Oh, my, a guest.

- My wife. - I'm imposing.

Oh, please, don't get up.

Oh, I'm worn out.

I was up all last night working a party.

Waitressing this way is hard labor.

I snuck in a nap at the restaurant.

Excuse me, but I have to lie down. Enjoy your visit.

She's lying.

My wife is seeing the chef at a fancy restaurant.

I'm sure she was with him again last night.

Hey! How dare you, in front of a guest!

Tell me, isn't it written all over her face?

How can you joke about it? Last night, I...

I'm starting to wonder if there's any point in living...

Maybe I would've been better off if I'd faced a firing squad back then.

Firing squad?

The Australians captured me, charged me as a war criminal.

I talked my way out of it and made it home...

Back here, the Americans harassed me for being ex-military police.

Got so I couldn't get to sleep without a drink.

Remember "bomb"?

That postwar black market booze.

The stuff finally got to my eyes.

But getting back to our conversation.

The truth is, when I got that letter from the Ministry,

I hesitated whether or not to tell them...

Do you know something?

Towards the end of the war,

there was one incident I've never been able to forget.

But...

I'm sorry, this is all I have.

So...

what kind of incident was it?

I must warn you.

It's not a very pleasant tale.

And there's no certainty that your husband was involved.

All I'm sure of is that the man was definitely a Sergeant.

Won't you have one?

Please, please tell me.

He killed his buddy and ate him.

AUGUST, 1945

I don't remember the name of the place or the unit,

but about 10 starving soldiers

were stationed at a look-out on the beach.

And one day...

You say it's meat? What meat?

Wild boar.

Where'd you catch it? Around here?

In this heat, it'll rot in no time.

If you've got any salt, I'll trade this for it.

The trade took no time at all...

and they stewed it with rice and ate it.

But this Sergeant

refused to tell

where he'd caught the wild boar, or where his unit was stationed.

One private got suspicious and followed him.

He probably figured on stumbling on a good catch.

But that private was never seen again.

Then, 3 or 4 days later,

the same Sergeant came back to trade meat for salt.

Hey, it's rotten.

Cook it up and it'll be fine.

Trade it for some salt and next time I'll pickle it for you.

Where are all these wild boars?

The Sergeant confessed relatively quickly.

He had deserted with a buddy,

but he'd killed him in a rage over a stolen potato.

He got so hungry,

he ate his friend's buttocks...

Stop it!

So...

that private that never returned...

Turned him into the second tin of meat.

Was that Sergeant executed?

Yes.

- Did you kill him? - No,

I just attended.

Did he...

mention his family before he died?

Nothing.

But he did have one photograph.

A photograph of what?

I think it was a young woman holding a baby.

Did that Sergeant look like him?

I'm...

I'm sorry, how thoughtless of me.

That's all right.

Every soldier who fought on that front,

learned just how terrible human beings can be.

In those days, when a soldier died,

his buddies would burn his little finger, for ashes to bring home.

Whenever I smelled burning flesh,

before I'd had a chance to cover my nose,

I couldn't stop my own hunger pangs.

I was hardly any different from that Sergeant.

My husband, eating a man.

Just stupid.

Just stupid.

It can't be true, my love.

Everybody's lying.

Nobody knows... the real truth.

Say something?

How dare you! Cut it out!

That hurts.

Stop it.

You disgust me.

I said, no! No!

Nobody knows what happened, shit! Nobody!

Stop!

TADAHIKO OHASHI FORMER 2ND LIEUTENANT, ARMY

"On a journey, with grass for my pillow,

for my beloved I yearn, disturbed as scythed rushes".

This poem,

describes the turbulent emotions of a traveler,

remembering his wife at home,

pining for her everyday.

That's the subject of this poem.

I had...

completely forgotten about it.

In my exhaustion, I suppose I lost the will to recall it.

I stand in awe of your persistent obsession.

What was the meaning of our youth?

When I began teaching, after my repatriation,

it was all I could think about.

The meaning of my life and my friends' lives, lost to the war.

A precious sacrifice, that was essential,

for a new and peaceful Japan.

That was the only answer I could find.

Young people know nothing of war.

Nothing of its horrors.

If I have a right to teach anyone anything,

it is only to convey the misery of war to new generations...

BLOODY MAY DAY

REARMAMENT

MASSACRE

PATRIOTISM

Is this what we fought for?

Is this what we fought for?

I kept asking myself.

However,

ultimately, I could do nothing.

U.S. BASES OUT OF JAPAN

SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST NARITA AIRPORT

ANTI-WAR

Comrades, the actions we are about to take,

in the face off...

Everything overwhelms me.

I can't keep up.

In my exhaustion, I was only falling behind.

I did answer the Ministry's letter of inquiry.

But I doubt anyone actually paid any attention to my response.

When it's time to take responsibility, they have no integrity.

If the truth is not clear,

they should interpret in favor of the deceased

26 years later, they're still wondering whether someone deserted or not.

In the meantime, a Class-A war criminal has become Prime Minister...

During the war or today,

people from the bottom of the heap, never rest in peace.

The people who died on that island,

were all the same.

No one can discriminate against them or judge them.

Those who fell under enemy fire, those who took their own lives,

those who were executed, those who starved to death,

they all died in combat.

My husband wasn't like everyone else.

Why was he executed? That's what I want to know.

I want to know the truth.

After the war, a certain incident came to light.

It wasn't desertion in the face of enemy fire.

Some soldiers conspired...

to murder their superior officer.

In my unit,

there was a 2nd Lieutenant, Goto.

2nd Lt. Goto had graduated from the same Home Guard training unit as I.

He always swaggered around, Eager to be taken seriously

by non-commissioned officers and military academy graduates.

One day,

an American pilot crash landed near Goto's command post.

Go ahead! Kill him!

Major Senda, the Division Staff Officer gave the order.

He should have known better, but Goto volunteered to decapitate him.

No, perhaps,

Senda singled Goto out,

as a way of toughening up someone from the Home Guard.

You! M.P.

Finish it!

Move!

After that, Goto seemed to become increasingly hysterical.

Scum!

Get up!

Forcing his men to unnecessary hard labor,

striking and kicking them for no reason.

He took personal control of the food supply, hoarding it for himself.

He dragged a terminal malarial patient out to work,

killing him.

When the Sergeant protested, unable to tolerate it,

You dare to oppose your superior officer!

The way it's going,

that 2nd Lieutenant's going to kill us.

That Sergeant...

Are you saying he was my husband?

Why? You weren't there when it happened!

But the details of this incident...

were disclosed after the war.

AUGUST 15, 1945

When word of the war's end spread,

men who'd abandoned the front, began to creep out of the jungle.

"It's finally over".

We were all so relieved,

as we gathered at the former Division HQ.

Among the men,

there were 5 who had survived 2nd Lieutenant Goto's command.

Where's 2nd Lieutenant Goto?

What happened to your 2nd Lt.!

- He took his own life. - Crap!

You think you can fool me with that crap!

Major Senda was terrified...

that his botched execution of the prisoner would come to light.

When one of the men confessed to 2nd Lt. Goto's murder...

Executed for murdering a superior officer.

There was no court-martial.

Without even a trial...

The war was already over...

Unbelievable.

I can't believe it.

Before he executed the 5 men,

Senda apparently told them,

"I swear, 30 years from now.

Japan will rise from her ashes, to take revenge,

against the bestial Americans and English.

But our motherland has no need of traitors like you,

who murdered their own superior officer!"

My love.

How furious you must have been.

I've needed you, my love.

For 26 years,

I've needed you each and every day.

Hurry, Grandpa.

Coming, coming.

TAKEO SENDA FORMER MAJOR, ARMY Senda evaded prosecution as a war criminal...

and returned home safely.

Until recently,

he was a Board member of the Southeast Asian Development Corp.

Now, he's retired to a life of leisure.

I've heard that he's even writing a memoir about the New Guinea front.

I met him once by accident.

My stomach churned with rage.

I wanted to kill him,

with all my heart.

I got close enough to look at him.

He barely even noticed me.

He had no recollection.

I could do nothing.

That's right.

I was powerless.

Let's go.

That's a misunderstanding.

Either that, or malicious slander against my record.

It's true, the men were executed.

But they were sentenced to death by court-martial under military law.

Then, where's the court-martial verdict?

I have no idea where it would be after all these years.

Either it was lost in the chaos at the end of the war, or...

it was destroyed with other classified military documents.

In any event, it's noted in the military records of war deaths.

You know that record's useless.

If that's the way you think, we have nothing to discuss.

For what crime was he executed?

Murder of a superior officer, of course, as well as collective desertion.

"Collective" implies a group.

But all it says in the military records is "desertion".

Some kind of error, perhaps a clerical error or some such.

Were the operations of the former Imperial Army really that sloppy!

I understand how you must feel and I do feel sorry for you.

But there's nothing to be done He violated the law.

I had no direct role in that court-martial.

However, I believe that the sentence of execution was merited.

I still believe that, today.

At the time, our soldiers were in a state of shock.

Understandable, given their faith in the Imperial Army's invincibility.

But we officers...

could not afford to abandon ourselves to grief over our defeat.

We had lost, but we had to uphold order

for the sake of patriotism and honor.

For those reasons, the trial and executions were inevitable.

We swallowed our tears and carried them out.

In fact, after that, discipline was restored...

and Japanese soldiers were able to return home with honor.

You're saying you made my husband an example to others, a sacrifice...

Not at all.

We have to maintain order under any circumstances.

Don't we owe the postwar recovery and prosperity,

our new found stature among the world powers in the line of battle,

entirely to the firm imposition of national order?

Unfortunately, your husband...

murdered his superior officer.

He may have had good reason, but when you kill, you are judged.

This is true even in our present democracy.

You...

You're telling me you didn't kill anyone!

Not with your own hands, but you ordered others to, in the Emperor's name!

Japan fought the war as an entire nation.

Don't confuse the two.

- Grandpa, what's wrong? - Nothing at all.

Here.

It may be impossible to ask that you forget.

However, if we are to move on, we must also learn to forget.

If we're obsessed with the past, we are powerless.

Not for me...

For the record and my own honor, let me add the following:

2nd Lt. Goto murdered that American prisoner himself.

I had nothing to do with it.

To claim I executed witnesses to cover it up

is outrageous slander.

Also, we did not execute all 5.

Only the 3 actively involved in the murder.

The other 2 went to prison.

One of them died of an illness there.

I hear the other made it home safely.

I believe his name was Private First Class Terajima.

Private First Class Terajima?

But no matter what anyone says, Togashi san died nobly in combat.

That's right... It's coming back now.

It was Terajima who confessed that Togashi and others were murderers.

That's right.

I'm the one who revealed the crime.

All I cared about was getting out alive so I betrayed my buddies.

So you made up that whole story?

To escape responsibility for what you did,

you lied to me?

You have every right to accuse me.

But...

there's more to the story than that.

Will you hear me out?

When we heard that the war was over,

Togashi's squad was posted at a look-out 10 kms from HQ.

We had eaten everything we possibly could,

and were one step away from starvation.

So, when we got the order to assemble at Division HQ

no one had the will to get up and start.

For a while, we just lay around blankly

in my case, particularly, malaria and malnutrition

had reduced me to such a state, I couldn't even walk.

Then, suddenly, 2nd Lieutenant Goto turned up.

Salute.

Listen up, our platoon is launching an offensive.

Take up your weapons.

We've been ordered to assemble at Division HQ.

No need for that! Defeat is just a rumor!

"God's land is immortal, the Imperial Army invincible!"

We will fight to the bitter end!

We'll cut off every last enemy head!

Why are you looking at me like that!

Why don't you pick up your guns?

You bastards would rather lose the war?

Don't you care what happens to Japan?

How about it, Sgt. Togashi!

Say something!

You scum! Challenging my authority because I'm from the Home Guard!

I love my country!

I love it more than any of you scum!

Why are you lying around!

Get up!

I said, get up!

Get up!

You bastard! A soldier like you...

Scum!

I'm your superior officer!

Cut it out.

Then, what happened?

Sergeant, sir, you've... The 2nd Lieutenant...

The 2nd Lt. killed himself. Went mad when he heard of our defeat.

Got that? The 2nd Lt. killed himself.

And then,

Togashi san and the other 3 left for Division Headquarters.

They left you to die.

Each of them could barely walk.

Of course they left me behind, I couldn't take a step on my own.

They said they'd send someone to get me when they got to HQ.

I had no choice but to trust them, and wait...

It's salty.

There was something so delicious left in my own body.

This was a new discovery.

And with that, I felt such hunger.

I wonder...

if I can eat this...

I ate a man...

A man...

But the world didn't change.

So you ate a man, so what?

I'm going to live I'm going to get out of here.

I'd gone and eaten it.

The meat of the man your husband had killed.

Thanks to that, I found the strength to get up and walk.

By the time I straggled into Division Headquarters the next day,

Senda was already interrogating Togashi and the others.

Of course they accused me, too.

They threatened me with a firing squad unless I told the truth.

I was desperate to live.

Besides, if I told them that the 2nd Lt. had gone mad,

Togashi and the others' sentences would be lighter.

That's what I told myself as I confessed everything.

Leaving out, of course that I'd eaten human flesh.

But, Togashi and the others were executed.

Corporal Nakamura, who wasn't involved directly,

died of disease before he got home.

I'm the only one who made it back to Japan.

Tokyo was a vast, burned out wasteland.

People were living among the ruins without shame or inhibition,

their naked and raw humanity exposed.

I found that so comforting.

"Everyone's just like me".

I forgot all about eating human flesh, and betraying my comrades,

and I felt utterly at peace.

But that didn't last for long.

Order was soon restored.

MILITARY PROCUREMENT BOOM

As the streets, the houses and how people dressed,

rapidly improved,

I found myself...

all alone, left behind like an idiot.

And the terrible memories of eating flesh

and betraying my comrades,

began to weigh on my heart, day and night.

I ran away.

The world was after me and I ran away.

And I settled into this Korean shanty-town.

But this place, too,

won't last another month.

The kind of place where I feel at home,

the carefree world of burned out ruins

no longer even exists in Japan.

Terajima san.

Please tell me how my husband spent his final hours.

Didn't Ochi san tell you?

Ochi san?

Ochi san was the military policeman who executed him.

My...

You...

I remember.

Your husband...

That night, after you came, he was run over by a truck.

That night, oddly, he got drunk before going to work.

They say he crossed on a red light.

He was such a cautious man I wonder what happened...

Of course he was blind, so he couldn't see the light...

Madam, the photograph.

Oh, dear, I forgot.

It happened so quickly, this was the only photo.

Togashi san,

before he died, apparently he told Ochi,

he wanted some rice.

Rice?

That's right, I'm Japanese I want to eat white rice.

I can't rest in peace on this!

- Any rice left? - Not sure...

You can't execute me until I've had rice!

This is all we've got.

You'll have to make do with it.

Which way is Japan?

Sakai, Kobari, hold out your hands!

Your hands! Listen!

They drafted us together and we'll stick together in death.

Emperor!

He called out to the Emperor?

You think he meant to say"Banzai," to honor him?

No, it didn't sound that way to me.

It was almost an accusation...

Like a protest.

That's how he cried out...

What happened to the families of the men who died with my husband?

Private First Class Sakai's widow...

married Sakai's younger brother.

They're farmers, deep in the mountains up north.

They don't want to remember anything about the past, at all.

Private Kobari came from Hiroshima.

They say he lost his parents, his whole family,

to the atomic bomb.

The government didn't ask anybody's permission to start the war,

but we're the ones stuck paying for all of it.

REJECTED CLAIM OF SAKIE TOGASHI

My love, it turns out,

we can't have the Emperor dedicating any flowers to you.

Besides, no matter what anyone does,

your spirit will never rest in peace.

JAPANESE SOLDIERS DEATHS IN THE PACIFIC WAR

COMBAT-2.2 MILLION NON COMBAT-.9 MILLION

TOTAL 3.1 MILLION

THE END

English subtitles by LINDA HOAGLUND