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Exclusive: With businesses spanning across broadcasting, real estate, the space industry and consulting, Japanese investor Yoshihiro Shimamura has expanded his portfolio over the last few years to include international film production.

He is also a major shareholder in two Japanese television businesses — TV Tokyo and Asahi Broadcasting Group Holdings — as well as in internet advertising company CyberAgent and music data firm Oricon. Having invested in around 10 films, with the aim to release one to two a year, he has invested a total of approximately 200M yen ($1.39M) in feature projects. Though you may not know much about him yet, he’s quietly become a key player in Japanese entertainment.

Shimamura — who previously went by just the mononym ‘Yoshi’ in production credits — sat down with Deadline for his first interview with an international publication, for a wide-ranging discussion about how he chooses which films to invest in and how he has...

The 48th Japan Academy Film Awards ceremony took place on March 14, 2025 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on March 14, 2025, with free announcer Shinichi Hatori and actress Sakura Ando hosting the show.

“A Samurai in Time” continued gathering awards after the three it netted from Nikkan Sports, Michihito Fujii cemented his place on the top of the current directors, while Yuumi Kawai highlighted that she is the next super star of the local industry. “Kingdom 4″ Return of the General” expectedly won the majority of the technical awards. Here is the full list

Best Picture

A Samurai in Time Fantasia Film Review: A Samurai in Time (2024) by Junichi Yasuda

Best Animation Film

Look Back Anime Review: Look Back (2024) by Kiyotaka Oshiyama

Best Director

Michihito Fujii – Faceless

Best Screenplay

Akiko Nogi – Last Mile Film Review: Last Mile (2024) by Ayuko Tsukahara

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Ryusei Yokohama – Faceless

Best...

The award ceremony for the 48th Japan Academy Film Prizes was held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on March 14. From the five nominees in the animation category, Look Back won the Best Animation of the Year award. Additionally, the eight main animators of Look Back were also selected for the Creative Contribution Award, which was newly established this year to honor engineers who have made particularly outstanding contributions to the films selected for the awards. The eight animators were: Kiyotaka Oshiyama , Toshiyuki Inoue , Yuka Geshi , Takuya Ninuma , Katsuhiko Kitada , Shuichi Ohara , Tasan , and Ayako Hata . Among them, Oshiyama also served as the director, screenplay writer, and character designer of the film. Meanwhile, actor Yuumi Kawai , who voiced one of the film's two protagonists, Fujino, won the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role award for her role as An Kagawa in the Yu Irie-directed...

Netflix has revealed its 2025 slate of Japanese films and television series, with the streamer offering a rich mix of period series, action films and intriguing unscripted offerings.

The standout highlight from the lineup, and a potential breakout global hit, is the period series Last Samurai Standing. The series hails from filmmakers Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi and Toru Yamamoto and could appeal to fans of both FX’s Shogun and Netflix’s Squid Game with its survivalist premise and period setting. Junichi Okada leads the cast in this story that takes place at the tail end of the samurai era in Japan and is about 292 warriors who are invited to compete to the death for a cash prize. Last Samurai Standing is an adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami, which has already been adapted into a popular manga series.

‘Last Man Standing’

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Asura is among the streamer...

Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Michihito Fujii is preparing a crime drama centred on a blind orphan and ex-yakuza, which Toei will introduce to international buyers at the European Film Market (EFM) this week.

A Light In The Harbor marks the latest feature from Fujii, known for 2019 box office hit The Journalist, which won three prizes including best film at Japan’s Academy Awards and was spun-off into a Netflix series of the same name.

The upcoming drama follows an ex-yakuza who steals money from his old gang to pay for an operation to restore the sight of a blind orphan. It...

It's been an exciting year so far with all the new and returning Netflix shows, but things are about to get even better with the release of this upcoming Japanese series on the streaming platform. It's being described as a mix of these two hit shows, Squid Game and Shōgun. I don't know about you, but that sounds like something I definitely don't want to miss!

It's a period drama titled Last Samurai Standing, and it's based on the highly regarded Japanese manga series Ikusagami by Shogo Imamura. Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi, and Toru Yamamoto directed the episodes. In addition, Fujii, Yamaguchi, and Risa Yashiro wrote the scripts. While the exact episode count for the first season remains unknown, it's likely to fall between eight and 10 episodes, which is the typical range for a Netflix series.

An official release date has not been announced yet. However, Netflix has already set a November 2025 release.

Netflix has revealed fresh details of its upcoming slate from Japan, including a three features and an epic samurai period drama.

At an event in Tokyo today (February 12), the streaming giant said it would release manga adaptation Demon City this month, action remake Bullet Train Explosion in April and “boys love” (Bl) drama 10Dance in December. All have previously been announced.

Demon City, based on the manga Oni Goroshi and written and directed by Seiji Tanaka (Melancholic), is about a hitman played by Toma Ikuta who awakens from a long coma and embarks on a bloody, revenge-inspired killing spree. The...

One of the most intriguing upcoming action projects from Netflix has now been given a release window. Gloriously titled Last Samurai Standing, the upcoming series is based on the manga “Ikusagami” by Shogo Imamura and Katsumi Tatsuzawa and centers on 292 warriors who gather at a temple for a battle royale and the allure of a 100-billion-yen prize. And it has now been revealed that this hugely intriguing Squid Game with samurai will land on the streamer in November 2025.

The release window has been revealed as part of Netflix’s International release announcements (via What’s on Netflix), with Last Samurai Standing being just one of several action projects on the horizon for the streaming platform. Led by Jun'ichi Okada as our hero, who must survive the slashing of samurai swords to save his wife and child, Last Samurai Standing is set to be directed by Michihito Fujii. You can check...

Junichi Okada, who enters this dangerous game with one goal: to save his ailing wife and child.”

Who is in the cast for Last Samurai Standing?

For a long time, Junichi Okada was the only confirmed cast member. Some Netflix subscribers would be familiar with Junichi Okada if they streamed the Japanese crime-thriller Hard Days. Others may recognize him for his voice work on animated titles Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill. Outside of Netflix, the actor has starred in several historical dramas.

Junichi Okada shared his excitement with Netflix about the project;

“When Netflix executive producer Mr. Takahashi reached out to me, I was still acting in historical dramas. Back then, I was already thinking of ways to make this genre a hit, not just in Japan, but all over the world. I saw their potential for action, drama, social commentary, and entertainment, but I knew they could be taken further.

The 67th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, has announced its winners on January 28, 2025. The nominees and winners are selected from movies released in 2024 by members of the Association who are film reporters from seven sports newspapers in Tokyo. Indie movie “A Samurai in Time” was the surprise hit last year and has picked up a double win for Best Film and Best Actor. Likewise for Yu Irie‘s “A Girl Named Ann” bagging the Best Director and Best Actress awards.

Best Film

A Girl Named Ann

Abudeka Is Back

Let’s Go Karaoke!

52-Hertz Whales

A Samurai in Time

11 Rebels

Faceless

All the Long Nights

Last Mile

Look Back

Best Director

Yu Irie – A Girl Named Ann

Kazuya Shiraishi – 11 Rebels, Bushido

Ayuko Tsukahara – Last Mile, La Grande Maison Paris

Michihito Fujii – Faceless, 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days

Junichi Yasuda – A Samurai in Time

Best...

The UK’s biggest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP25), is back for its latest entertaining and thought-provoking instalment, presenting a packed programme on the theme of ‘Justice, Justification and Judgement in Japanese Cinema’.

In a world where injustice runs rampant, cinematic expressions of justice seem inexhaustible: time and time again, heroic protagonists fend off malicious antagonists or enact their revenge, with the constant injustices they face mirroring those of audiences. Japanese film is no exception to this, and the JFTFP25 promises to showcase how Japanese filmmakers use the language of cinema to explore the concepts of criminal, social and moral justice, along with the ways people respond to external judgement. Featuring everything from thought-provoking hidden gems, powerful true-life tales, women-led stories, anarchic comedies, and unearthed retrospective titles, UK audiences are invited to join the festival in questioning the very concepts of justice, justification and...

Netflix continues to deliver in the action department, with the streaming giant having now set a 2025 release date for what sounds like a truly gripping martial arts epic. The upcoming series, superbly titled Last Samurai Standing and based on the manga “Ikusagami,” promises to deliver an “intriguing tale of survival and honor,” according to Netflix, and centers on 292 warriors who gather at a temple for a battle royale and the allure of a 100-billion-yen prize. So, think Squid Game but with samurai. We're sold.

Amid this mass fight to the death is our hero, set to be portrayed by Jun'ichi Okada, who must survive the slashing of samurai swords to save his wife and child. As per What’s on Netflix, as part of the streamer’s international release announcement, Last Samurai Standing will debut in 2025. While a more specific release date has yet to be announced, you can imagine...

Michihito Fujii’s Netflix drama film, 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days, reminded me of popular rom-com films like Before Sunrise or Past Lives. The Taiwanese Japanese film is about unrequited love—the kind that makes you wonder, “What if?” What if things had turned out differently between you and your lover? 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days isn’t just about that kind of love, though. It’s also a nostalgic look back at our younger days when life seemed simpler and we were carefree. But we tend to forget those silly parts as we grow up.

In Michihito Fujii’s film, the main character, Jimmy, gets fired from his job and decides to travel to Japan. Jimmy heads to Tadami in Fukushima, where his old crush, Ami, lives. Jimmy feels like calling her an “ex-lover” might be a stretch since he thinks his feelings are one-sided. But who knows? Maybe there’s...

The 7th Taiwan Film Festival in Australia will take place from July 25th to September 14th, spanning six cities: Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, and, for the first time, Adelaide. With over 50 sessions and 20 Australian premieres, the festival features additional events, including a Pitching Competition, Taiwanese Bookshelves, and the most iconic Short Film Competition.

“I'm really excited about the diverse programs this year, ranging from beautiful arthouse cinema to blockbuster comedy. For the first time, we expanded the programming team and dedicated a section to Taiwanese Indigenous works. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Taiwanese Indigenous cultures and highlight their values and voices, which are crucial to Taiwanese identity,” said Benson Wu, the Festival Director.

Opening Night Film:

Old Fox – Directed by Hsiao Ya-Chuan

And Miles To Go Before I Sleep – Directed by Tsai Tsung-Lung

Love Is A Gun – Directed by Lee Hong-Chi

Tales Of Taipei – Directed by Yin Chen-Hao,...

The annual New York Asian Film Festival is about to kick off this summer.

Presented by the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center, the 23rd edition of the festival will take place from July 12 through 22 at Film at Lincoln Center, with additional screenings from July 22 through 28 at the Sva Theatre and July 13–15, 18–21, and 23–25 at Look Cinemas W57, plus a special collaborative presentation of films at the Korean Cultural Center New York.

This year’s lineup marks the largest list of premieres, with 20 films debuting including the North American premiere of “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” which debuted at Cannes.

The opening night selection is the world premiere of Park Beom-su’s “Victory,” a cheerleading epic that’s billed as “Bring It On” meets “Parasite.” Lee Hye-ri (of 3rd-gen K-pop band Girl’s Day) will be in attendance with co-star Park Se-wan and director Park.

75 films from 12 countries, 228 guests of honour and 65 thousand spectators. These are all the numbers of Udine Far East Film Festival 2024. There was an increase of accredited visitors (of 24% over 2023) and the screenings at Udine's 1,200-seat Teatro Nuovo venue were always full, from 9 in the morning to midnight. This says a lot about the growing interest in Asian Cinema.

China and South Korea were the protagonists of the opening Night of Wednesday the 24th of April, with two international premieres: Yolo and Citizen of a Kind, followed by some more South Korean box office sensations, The Roundup: Punishment, 12.12: The Day and horror movie Exhuma. Some very welcome returns of festival friends were Jun Lana, with LGBT comedy of errors Becky & Badette, Norris Wong with the musical The Lyricist Wanna Be, Nick Cheung, in the director's chair, with Peg O'My Heart and Herman Yau with three actioners: Moscow Mission, Raid of...

A real viral travelogue blog by Jimmy Lai is the inspiration behind “18×2 Beyond Youthful Days”, a Japan-Taiwan co-production, directed and co-written by Michihito Fujii of “The Journalist” fame.

18×2 Beyond Youthful Days is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

36-year-old Jimmy (Hsu Kuang-han) is back at home in Tainan, after leaving it 18 years prior. He is going through a difficult and delicate stage of his life, having been excluded by the successful game developing company he founded and developed. It is certainly time for a break and a reassessment of life priorities and Jimmy starts from his ancestral home, where it all started. Rummaging into his bits and pieces in his teenager bedroom, he finds a postcard from an old crush, a Japanese traveler called Ami he had met the summer before starting University. Remembering how she liked travelling and how important it was for her; Jimmy decides...

The Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Italy’s Udine has unveiled the full line-up for its 26th edition, which will honour Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou with an honorary award and world premiere restored versions of his Raise The Red Lantern and To Live.

Running April 24 to May 2, the festival will open with a double bill: Chinese box office hit Yolo and South Korean action-comedy Citizen Of A Kind.

Yolo dominated this year’s Lunar New Year releases, grossing $484m in China, and is directed by Jia Ling, who stars as an unemployed woman in her 30s whose life is...

Michihito Fujii has been working like a factory lately for Netflix, with the majority of his latest works featuring in the streaming service, including “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045”, and the more recent “Hard Days” and “Village” among others. His latest work, however, signals a change to a “tamer” narrative, as “The Parades” is a drama about the afterlife, inspired by the Fukushima disaster.

Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

Minako, a TV reporter and single mother, finds herself roaming the area she lived in after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, in search of her lost boy. Soon she realizes though, that she is dead and that the living cannot see or hear her. While getting totally lost about her new reality, she is discovered by Akira, a writer who is in the same situation, who takes her under his wing and introduces her to his...

This year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival will open with the Asian premiere of All Shall Be Well, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Ray Yeung, which recently won the Teddy Award at Berlin film festival.

Starring Patra Au and Maggie Li, the film tells the story of an older lesbian couple and how the surviving partner struggles to retain her home and her dignity when one of them passes away. The film premiered in the Panorama section at the Berlinale.

Japanese filmmaker Miyake Sho’s All The Long Nights, starring Matsumura Hokuto and Kamishiraishi Mone, which premiered in the Forum section of Berlin, will close the festival on April 8.

Gala screenings also include the world premiere of Hong Kong filmmaker Ho Miu-ki’s Love Lies, starring Sandra Ng, Cheung Tin-fu and Stephy Tang; Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s Gift, a collaboration with composer Eiko Ishibashi, which will be...

The Parades is a movie written and directed by Michihito Fujii starring Masami Nagasawa, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Ryusei Yokohama, and Nana Mori.

From Japan comes “The Parades”, a lovely film that, we warn you, goes straight to the heart and speaks from the deepest human emotion and the most profound concern of human beings: death.

A film that starts precisely from there, and gradually contrasts it with life, creating a whole ode to life itself in death.

A film, as you may have imagined, full of sentiment and nostalgia, but also of life and hope.

Synopsis:

After an earthquake, a woman feels confused and disoriented as she tries in vain to find her son. A stranger takes her to a camp where he tells her the truth: she is dead, and she still has unfinished business to take care of before she can move on to the other side.

About the film:

This Thursday,...

Romantic drama 18x2 Beyond Youthful Days by acclaimed Japanese director Michihito Fujii has been sold to a raft of Asian distributors by sales firm Happinet Phantom Studios.

The upcoming feature has been acquired for South Korea (Media Castle), Hong Kong (Golden Scene) and Southeast Asia territories (Purple Plan) as well as for in-flight (Emphasis Video).

The romance is set for release in Taiwan on March 14 through Activator Marketing Company and in Japan on May 3 through Happinet, which will also be speaking to buyers about the feature at the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin this month.

The cast is led by Hsu Kuang-han,...

Netflix has revealed that its Japanese slate for the year ahead includes three films and a seven new and returning series.

The features include Drawing Closer by Takahiro Miki, a director well-known for romantic dramas such as Love Me, Love Me Not and Your Eyes Tell. It follows a young man with a terminal illness who falls for a woman who is also living on borrowed time. The cast is led by Ren Nagase and Natsuki Deguchi.

It is based on a best-selling novel by Ao Morita and is scripted by Tomoko Yoshida, whose collaborations with Miki go back to...

Back in 2013, when the surge of Korean crime/action thrillers, which eventually brought the local industry to the top of the world, was at its peak, Kim Seung-hun managed to come up with “A Hard Day”, a movie that entailed the majority of the elements that made films of the category a success, but also including a very appealing comic aspect, mostly instigated by an impressive performance by Lee Sun-kyun. Ten years later, Michihito Fujii, who has been working like crazy for Netflix recently, coming up with three films just in 2023, presents a Japanese remake of the original, which also doubles as a Christmas movie, in a way.

Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

On the night of December 29th, Detective Yuji Kudo is driving his car towards the hospital, where his mother is hospitalized with a serious condition. He is a bit drunk, and a...

It’s slick, it’s chaotic, it’s entertaining, and it’s dark, which is why the new Japanese crime thriller Hard Days by Michihito Fujii intrigues from the very first frame. One gets a sense from the get-go that we have entered into a world that is full of sinister plots. There is something about those movies that start with a car being driven at night that somehow sets my mind racing with all these adjectives. Goodfellas comes to mind with that sort of dynamic opening, and well, Hard Days is not as good as the Scorsese film; but it has a language of its own. But the first frame itself promises what kind of movie it’s going to be. If there were doubts, then the movie quells all of them in the next five minutes when drunk Detective Yuji Kudo runs somebody over and tries to cover up the crime.

Horror comedy is directed by Nam Dong-hyub.

Korean sales company Contents Panda is to launch sales on horror comedy Handsome Guys at the Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) in Busan.

The film stars Lee Sung-min and Lee Hee-jun, who both starred in Woo Min-ho’s The Man Standing Next – South Korea’s entry to the Oscars in 2021. Lee Sung-min is also known for his role in Yoon Jong-bin’s Cannes 2018 title The Spy Gone North. The cast also includes Gong Seung-yeon (Aloners).

A first look at the feature can be seen above.

It marks the feature directorial debut of Korea’s Nam Dong-hyub,...

‘Hear Me: Our Summer’ is the remake of a popular Taiwanese romance feature.

Hive Filmworks has boarded sales of Hear Me: Our Summer, a Korean remake of popular Taiwanese romance feature Hear Me, and will launch the title at the Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) in Busan.

It marks the second feature of director Jo Seon-Ho, whose time-loop mystery A Day proved a hit on release in 2017 and sold to a raft of key territories around the world.

His latest follows a young man who works part-time at his parents’ lunchbox house and a woman who lives only to support her hearing-impaired sister,...

The action film starring Shin Hae-sun is set for a release in Korea in October.

South Korean sales company Finecut has closed deals across Asia for vigilante action film Brave Citizen, ahead of its local release on October 25.

Theatrical distribution deals have been secured for Japan (Kadokawa K+), Taiwan (Moviecloud) and Vietnam (Lumix Media). An additional inflight deal has been closed with Kairos Distribution.

Directed by Park Jin-pyo (Voice Of A Murderer), the film is presented by Content Wavve, one of the leading Ott platforms in South Korea.

It is based on a webtoon of the same name, which was...

The actor is known for Taiwan box office hit ‘Marry My Dead Body’.

Hsu Kuang-han, the star of Taiwan box office hit Marry My Dead Body, will next be seen in romantic drama 18x2 by acclaimed Japanese director Michihito Fujii.

The actor, also known as Greg Han, will play opposite Japanese actress Kaya Kiyohara in the romance, which is in post-production. A first look at the two actors in the film can be seen above.

It is produced by Taiwan’s Jumpboys Films and Japan’s Babel Label, founded by director Fujii.

Happinet Phantom Studios will release the film in...

The actor is known for Taiwanese box office hit ‘Marry My Dead Body’.

Hsu Kuang-han, the star of Taiwanese box office hit Marry My Dead Body, will next be seen in romantic drama 18x2 by acclaimed Japanese director Michihito Fujii.

The actor, also known as Greg Han, will play opposite Japanese actress Kaya Kiyohara in the romance, which is in post-production.

It is produced by Taiwan’s Jumpboys Films and Japan’s Babel Label, founded by director Fujii.

Happinet Phantom Studios will release the film in Japan in May 2024 and is launching sales at the Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm), which opens in Busan today.

A compilation film for Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2 will hit theaters in Japan this fall.

As detailed on MyAnimeList, the anime's official website recently announced that the Season 2 compilation film, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 The Last Human, will arrive in Japanese theaters this November. The site also states that this film will retell Season 2's storyline with "new scenes and perspectives." Production I.G. and Sola Digital Arts, which are producing the film, also revealed a new key visual and teaser trailer for the series' fanbase.

Related: 10 Cult Classic Anime Series Every Anime Fan Should Watch

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 is the sequel series to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, one the most popular entries in the beloved cyberpunk franchise. It is set in the titular year 2045, an age of constant warfare that is perpetuated through the weaponized use of artificial intelligence. Following the shutdown...

Quite similar to the significance of Noh, a Japanese dance-drama art form, that provides an emotional vessel to the characters in the film, Netflix's The Village extends a cathartic experience to the audience through the journey of its characters. Directed by Michihito Fujii, the Japanese drama film sets itself for a tragedy right from the beginning when its young protagonist Yu Katayama (Ryûsei Yokohama) is mercilessly treated by a society that refuses to acknowledge him as a deserving member. In many ways, the waste treatment plant or the environmental center, which serves as the epicenter of the once-scenic Kamon Village, reflects the festering moral disposition of the village's residents who take pride in the advancement brought about by the establishment built on the very foundations of corruption and crime. The ending of The Village on Netflix only cements the eventual fate of its characters who continuously find themselves amidst...

Michihito Fujii has emerged during the recent years as one of the most intriguing voices of Japanese cinema, with movies like “The Journalist”, “Yakuza and the Family” and “Day and Night” setting the tone for an impressive career. In the last few years, he seems to have been employed by Netflix in some way, since a number of his latest works premiere on the streaming platform. Not holding “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 – Sustainable War” against him, since everyone who has dealt with that mess has left severely “scarred”, it was really interesting to see what his latest work, “Village” would be like, particularly since it seemed to incorporate a number of the genre elements he implemented excellently in his previous works.

Click the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix

Yu Katayama is a young man who has been living in the Kamon village since childhood, not being able to leave,...

If I had to define the word tedious with a movie, it might be Netflix’s Japanese-language film The Village, also known simply as “Village.” What looks like a mystery tinted with Japanese art and a deep message of “be kind to everything around you” turns out to be more tiring than inspiring. It’s quite disheartening because this movie could’ve turned out brutal and emotional if it weren’t so sporadically paced. The two hours have definitely been underutilized, and the details that have been paid attention to are redundant. A lot of the film is dark, and if you’re watching it in the daytime, it might be a little difficult to understand what exactly is happening. The plot attempts to cover the dark and difficult subjects of bullying, the idea of evil being hereditary, climate change, depopulation, and the abandonment of tradition for contemporary culture. While...

The Village is a Japanese film starring Ryusei Yokohama, Haru Kuroki, and Arata Furuta and directed by Michihito Fujii. The movie takes us on a journey between fantasy and reality in a Japanese village that has become a dumpsite. This film blends ancient tradition with the harsh reality of modern times, making it very relevant.

About the Movie

The film constantly seeks the truth, which is commendable. It is a different kind of movie on Netflix, as it is full of realism and delves into a pressing issue of contemporary society: waste management and the social problems it brings. It is a good starting point, and after an excellent opening sequence about Kabuki theater, the film continues to maintain our interest by presenting a well-told story that finds its own rhythm. With a lot of personality and a strong message, the film develops and reaches a level of maturity.

This movie will have its audience,...

Informa is a Japanese series directed by Michihito Fujii starring Kenta Kiritani, Reo Sano and Go Morita.

Fancy a series about committed journalists? Yes, the kind that seeks the news and fervently fights to get the scoop… like in the movies before the Internet era.

Informa has just arrived from Japan.

Storyline

Kanji Mishima (Leo Sano) is a reporter for the Weekly Times, a newspaper that mainly reports gossip. He feels a sense of emptiness and discomfort as he spends his days chasing celebrity scandals without a shred of the journalistic spirit he had aspired to. One day, Mishima goes to Amagasaki to pick up a certain person under the direction of Asuka Nagasawa (Megumi), the editor-in-chief. Nagasawa sends him off by chance to fulfill Mishima’s former wish to “see a world you would never see if you lived a normal life,” but what awaits him is Keijiro Kihara...

Netflix is further boosting its Japanese live-action content slate with a multi-picture deal with Tokyo-based studio Babel Label. The partnership gives Netflix exclusive access to multiple titles produced and created by Babel Label for the next five years.

The studio, a subsidiary launched in 2013 by Japanese media company CyberAgent, is home to creators such as writer-director Michihito Fujii, winner of best director and best film at the 2020 Japan Academy Awards for The Journalist. The film was later adapted by Netflix as a series in 2022.

Netflix has grown increasingly bullish on Japanese live-action content over the past few years. The second season of the streamer’s Japanese sci-fi thriller series Alice in Borderland set a new record as the company’s most-watched Japanese show ever, taking the top spot on Netflix’s global non-English TV list with 61.2 million viewing hours over its premiere weekend in late December 2022. Last week, the company...

Michihito Fujii has directed a film – sometimes two, and sometimes even three – a year almost every year since he first came on to the scene in 2012 with his debut “Where Is The Better Future Of A Fake Town”. His 2020 semi-fantasy coming of age film “The Brightest Roof In The Universe” (based on the novel “Uchu De Ichiban Akarui Yane” by Tomoso Nonaka) is attempting to make its own wave at this year’s Toronto Japanese Film Festival. Clearly as prolific a director as they come, you’d think that the quantity of Fujii’s output might hinder their quality. However, if this sweet tale about an endearingly awkward teen navigating love and past trauma with the help of a mysterious scooter-riding granny is any indication, then Fujii, and us, have nothing to worry about.

“The Brightest Roof In The Universe” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

The story follows Tsubame,...

Michihito Fujii was born in Tokyo and graduated from the Nihon University College of Art Screenplay course. While studying at the university, he started to write scripts and began his activities as a director. His first feature-length movie was ”Oh! Father”, based on the same-named novel by Kotaro Isaka. His film, “The Journalist” received 6 Japan Academy Prize nominations and won three, including Picture of the Year, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role and Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

On the occasion of “A Family” screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we speak with him about shooting a movie about and researching the yakuza, his opinion about the rather harsh, current anti-yakuza law, the cycle of violence, his cooperation with Go Ayano and other topics.

Why did you decide to shoot a film about the yakuza? What is your opinion about its state through the years and now?...

Despite being active since 2013, Michihito Fujii has only managed to become more widely known in 2019, when two of his movies, “Night and Day” and “The Journalist” garnered much attention, both in Japan and internationally. “A Family” follows in the same footsteps of the two, both stylistically and contextually, with the second aspect focusing on an effort to present themes that are usually depicted in genre fashion, with realism. This time he deals with the world of yakuza, and particularly the concept of family within these organizations, which, supposedly, is one of the main values of the underworld.

“A Family” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

The story coves two decades in the life of Kenji Yamamoto, starting in 1999, when he has just lost his yakuza father, becoming an orphan, something that has turned him into an insolent punk, who seems to fear and respect of nothing, and is always...

“The Journalist,” Michihito Fujii’s drama about a young female reporter who investigates a scandal that extends to the highest reaches of Japanese politics, won the Best Picture prize at the 43rd Japan Academy Awards ceremony, held in Tokyo Friday.

Due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus, no guests were invited and no media were on site to cover the ceremony at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa.

Based on Isoko Mochizuki‘s non-fiction book, “The Journalist” was a surprise box office hit last year, breaking an industry taboo against dramatizing real-life political controversy in commercial films.

Shim Eun-Kyung, who played the Korean-Japanese reporter, took the Best Actress prize. Meanwhile, Tori Matsuzaka, who co-starred as a conflicted elite bureaucrat the reporter uses as a source, was named Best Actor.

Japan’s biggest hit in 2019, Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering With You,” scooped Best Animation honors, while the group Radwimps, which...

Despite some major issues in the Japanese movie industry, mostly having to do with the lack of a middle ground between independent and blockbuster movies and continuous denial of some major companies to allow their movies to screen outside Japan, 2019 has been quite a good year for local cinema. The international festival circuit gave a lot of films the opportunity to both screen and find some source of funding outside Japan, while creativity (despite the fact that it derives from manga and novels mostly) remains one of the most significant traits of Japanese cinema.

Without further ado, here are the best Japanese films of 2019, in reverse order, with the focus being, as always, on diversity. Some films may have premiered in 2018, but since they mostly circulated in 2019, we decided to include them.

20. Okinawan Blue (Tsukasha Kishimoto)

At the same time, one could say that the film also deals with four...

A publisher of bestselling novels that has become a broad-based media company, Kadokawa has brought one of its biggest recent projects to Tiffcom. Titled “Fukushima 50,” the film tells the true-life story of workers at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant who, over five desperate days, reined in a nuclear disaster that could have caused the evacuation of Tokyo and other country-crippling damage, following the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Setsuro Watanabe directs and Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato star, with release set for next year.

Also on the lineup is “A Girl Missing,” a drama by Koji Fukada, winner of the 2016 Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize for his dark family drama “Haromonium.” Mariko Tsutusi stars as an in-home caregiver who finds herself swept up in a scandal when her own nephew is charged with kidnapping.

Arriving at the market with a ripped-from-the-headlines story is Michihito Fujii’s “The Journalist.” Korean actress...

Revenge might be said to be a dish best served cold, but Michihito Fujii’s new film “Day and Night” questions if it needs to be served at all. The film, produced and co-written by Japanese superstar Takayuki Yamada, will be screening at Fantasia International Film Festival 2019.

“Day and Night” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival

Koji Akashi returns home from Tokyo following the suicide of his father, a whistleblower for a large automobile company. As his father’s extreme step has left the family debt-ridden and hounded by debtors as well as workers of the automobile company, Akashi decides to stay back to help his mother and young sister and to find the truth about the mystery that surrounds his father’s death. In his search for truth, he meets Kenichi Kitamura, a suave man who alleges that he has a debt of gratitude towards Akashi’s father...

Questioning the role of the traditional media seems to be a global phenomenon at the moment, particularly in the countries that comprise the “First World”. The questions raised, from the Us to Japan and in many countries between, usually reveal answers that highlight the press as another pole of the national-level corruption, along with organized crime, the “capital”, the authorities, and politicians. Michihito Fujii presents his take on the issue, through an approach that unfolds much like a Korean thriller.

“The Journalist” is screening at Japan Cuts 2019

The story, which is based on reporter Isoko Mochizuki’s book “Shinbun Kisha”, revolves around two individuals. Yoshioka is a Us-educated Tokyo reporter working for Toto Newspaper, whose father’s destroyed journalism career and subsequent suicide is the driving force behind her zeal to pursue the truth at any cost. Takumi Sugihara is a bureaucrat and careerist who works for the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office,...

With a final wave of programming, the 2019 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup, featuring over 130 incredible features from across the globe.

Fantasia International Film Festival

Montreal, Quebec – July 11 to August 1

In addition, the festival is also very proud to announce a record number of repertory titles, its esteemed 2019 jury, a horror film location bus tour through Montreal, and exciting, one-of-a-kind live events with producer Edward R. Pressman, “First Blood” director Ted Kotcheff, and iconic horror host Joe Bob Briggs.

Japanese horror icon ”Sadako” will open fantasia 2019!

Sadako

Twenty years ago, Fantasia celebrated the North American Premiere of Hideo Nakata’s “Ringu” and its sequel, which led to Dreamworks acquiring the franchise and is largely seen as having been the birth of J-Horror in the West. This Summer, the festival is proud to open its 23rd edition with the series’ latest sequel, “Sadako” (North...

Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato star in the film.

Japanese studio Kadokawa Corp is arriving in Cannes with a busy slate headed by action drama Fukushima 50, starring Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato, and also including new titles from Takahisa Zeze, Koji Fukada and Michihito Fujii.

Directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu (The Unbroken), Fukushima 50 tells the story of the courageous group of workers who remained on site to stabilise the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant during its meltdown following the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Based on Ryusho Kadota’s book On The Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi, the...

Japan’s Nikkatsu is poised to be one of the busiest sales companies at the Tiffcom market this week. In addition to local hit “One Cut of the Dead” and festival favorite “Killing,” the company has a slate of titles in post-production that it is pitching at the autumn festivals and markets.

Youth drama, “We Are Little Zombies” is set for an early summer release in 2019. Written and directed by Makoto Nagahisa, who last year won a grand prize at Sundance for his short film “And So We Put Goldfish in The Pool,” the film is a story of four youngsters who all lose their parents around the same time. Realizing that they are devoid of emotion, they put together a kick-ass band to try to recover their ability to feel.

Written and directed by Indonesia’s Kimo Stamboel – one half of the so-called Mo Brothers – “Dreadout: Tower of Hell...