Paper short abstract:

This paper will look at the film Nihon no ichiban nagai hi, the first film to ever portray Emperor Hirohito and his involvement in the Second World War. An analysis of the film thus sheds light on how media, memory and politics intersect in contemporary Japanese society.

Paper long abstract:

Emperor Hirohito's radio broadcast announcing Japan's surrender on 15 August 1945 has become iconic for the end of the Second World War in Japan. Hardly a fictional product set in this time will not at least make brief reference to it, while audio-visual productions will replay parts of the original tape, so that some memorable phrases are still well known.

However, in spite of the significance of the tape and the role of the Emperor during the Asia-Pacific War, the Emperor himself rarely features at all in films or television dramas set in the Second World War. In that respect, Harada Masato's film of 2015 stands out. Nihon no ichiban nagai hi tells the story of Japan's surrender, putting the Emperor at the heart of the narrative. It is set in the last days of the war and tells the story of the radio broadcast - and it is Hirohito who is constructed as the reluctant hero.

A deeper engagement with the film, in particular the part played by the Emperor, is thus revealing in many respects. Released in 2015, in time for the commemoration of the end of the Second World War, it thus seems to almost ask its audiences to forgive Hirohito. It also offers indication that the politics of memory might have shifted under Prime Minister Abe Shinzō. On the other hand, it was co-produced with TV Asahi, the media conglomerate having been lambasted by the LDP for 'misrepresenting' issues surrounding war memory. The film is thus an ideal example to show the controversy regarding the politics of media and memory in Japan, the various competing narratives and the struggle for agency of the representations.

This paper will thus highlight how media, memory and politics intersect in Japan - using Nihon no ichiban nagai hi as example. It will elucidate how the various narratives compete, and how this influences the plot - and reading of the film.