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45-868: His 2010 film, Caterpillar , was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival . Kōji Wakamatsu was born in Wakuya , Miyagi , Japan on 1 April 1936, from a poor family of rice farmers. Wakamatsu worked in several menial jobs, namely as a construction worker, before becoming a yakuza , as "a member of the Yasuma-gumi clan in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo". After his criminal experience, he unsuccessfully enrolled in television before beginning his film career with Nikkatsu in 1963. Between 1963 and 1965, he directed 20 exploitation films for

90-540: A distance. On February 28, the police stormed the lodge. Two police officers were killed in the assault, the hostage was rescued and the URA radicals were taken into custody. The incident contributed to a decline in popularity of leftist movements in Japan. In the 1960s, leftist student movements pervaded Japan's universities, as similar movements did in the West. By the latter half of

135-543: A long documentary part about the political background that led to this tragedy and the self-destruction of the Japanese radical left. While directing many successful and critically praised Pink Films, Wakamatsu also became known for giving young filmmakers their first experience in working in the industry. Among those whose early careers were helped by Wakamatsu are Banmei Takahashi , Genji Nakamura  [ ja ] and Kan Mukai . His 2010 film, Caterpillar , competed for

180-531: A mountain lodge near Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture , Japan , which lasted from February 19 to February 28, 1972. The police rescue operation on the final day of the standoff was the first marathon live television broadcast in Japan, lasting 10 hours and 40 minutes. The incident began when five armed members of the United Red Army (URA), following a bloody purge that left fourteen members of

225-695: A police station in Itabashi . On 20 December, the first leadership conference of the combined groups was held at the Haruna base of the Keihin Group. The leaders knew that the police were aware of their general location, and it would be difficult to leave the mountains. Without hope of outside help or escape, in late 1971, the leaders of the two factions, Mori and Nagata, planned a "annihilation operation" ( 殲滅戦 , senmetsusen ) which required an ideological review process of criticism and self-criticism of all members. It

270-573: Is a critique of the right-wing militarist nationalism that guided Japan's conduct in Asia during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II . The film deals with various issues, such as war crimes , handicapped veterans, and spousal abuse . The film also deals with themes of sexual perversion and features graphic sex scenes. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival . Shinobu Terajima received

315-606: Is believed to have assisted in the hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 472 from Paris to Tokyo in 1977, forcing the jet to land in Dhaka . He remains at large and reportedly spent time between 1997 and 2007 in Russia , China , the Philippines , and Japan. Muta remained in the Karuizawa, working at another lodge. She refused to speak any further about her ordeal since her initial statements to

360-468: Is no sense that Japan was the primary victim of World War II, as may be seen in other Japanese films on the war. The film is both anti-nationalist and anti-war in its depiction of the Empire of Japan. The film received a 91% rating on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes . It grossed $ 4,157 at the domestic box office and $ 247,765 at the foreign box office for a combined Worldwide total of $ 251,922. It

405-445: Is still constantly eager for sex, which he performs acrobatically with his wife. The sexual acts are rough and are imposed on his wife, who is repulsed by him. Nevertheless she feels a duty to take care of him. The film concludes with the disabled veteran Kurokawa committing suicide by dragging himself into a pond outside his home. Wakamatsu's film is part of a revisionist movement seen in fashion, cartoons and video games that reconsider

450-486: The Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival . In 2011, a new film on the last days of acclaimed novelist and political activist Yukio Mishima , focusing on the stream of events leading to the so-called Ichigaya incident of November 25, 1970, was announced as being on its stage of full completion. The film entitled 11.25 Jiketsu No Hi, Mishima Yukio To Wakamonotachi [11.25自決の日、三島由紀夫と若者たち] features Japanese actor Arata as Mishima. The film competed in

495-634: The Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for her portrayal of Kurokawa's wife. The film is set in the late 1930s, during the Second Sino-Japanese War . In the first scene, Lieutenant Kurokawa scourges, rapes and disembowels Chinese people during the war. Later, he returns home as a war hero, but with a horribly mutilated body. He is alive but reduced to a torso (no limbs), deaf and mute, with burns covering half of his face, but with three medals on his chest. Despite his condition, he

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540-648: The Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival . Wakamatsu died on 17 October 2012 after being hit by a taxi in Tokyo on 12 October on his way home, after a budget meeting to discuss his next project, a movie about the Japanese nuclear lobby and Tepco . Caterpillar (2010 film) Caterpillar ( キャタピラー , Kyatapirā ) is a 2010 Japanese drama film directed by Kōji Wakamatsu , partially drawn from Edogawa Ranpo 's banned short-story "The Caterpillar" ( 芋虫 , Imomushi , 1929) . The film

585-661: The United Red Army (URA) retreated to a compound in Gunma Prefecture during the winter of 1972. The two groups that later merged into the United Red Army independently carried out violent acts in early 1971. The Keihin Anti-Security Treaty Joint Struggle Group , led by Hiroko Nagata and Hiroshi Sakaguchi, raided a gun shop in Mooka ( Tochigi Prefecture ) on February 17, acquiring 9 shotguns, 1 rifle, 1 airgun, and 2300 rounds of ammunition. Panicked by

630-527: The U.S. by Richard Speck . Dark Story of a Japanese Rapist ( 日本暴行暗黒史 , Nihon Bōkō Ankokushi , 1969) was based on a serial rapist case in Japan after World War II. Go, Go Second Time Virgin ( ゆけゆけ二度目の処女 , Yuke yuke nidome no shojo , 1969) is loosely based on the Tate-LaBianca murders by the Manson Family in the same year. With Sex Jack ( 性賊 , Seizoku , 1970) , he tried "to show how

675-518: The area without police permission was also shot, reportedly by the radicals, and fatally wounded. As darkness fell, the police breached the top floor's barricades and captured one of the Katō brothers. The remaining four radicals burrowed into a pile of futon bedding and refused to surrender. As the police approached them, Bandō shot one of the policemen, Masahiro Endō, in the eye. Endō lost his eye but survived. Eventually, at 6:15 p.m., 280 hours after

720-442: The assault at 8 a.m. on February 28 and issued a final ultimatum an hour later, which went unheeded by the radicals. At 10 a.m. the crane began to batter the lodge's walls with the wrecking ball. The police cautiously approached the building and began to break through the barricades. By noon, the police had occupied the two lower floors, isolating the radicals and Muta on the top floor. The police experienced difficulty in breaching

765-442: The barricades, he realized what had happened and quickly notified police. The police immediately set up roadblocks and surrounded the lodge to cut off any avenues of escape for the radicals inside. The police initially decided to wait and see if the radicals would surrender on their own. After three days without a surrender offer from the hostage-takers, the police shut off the electricity to the lodge and set up loudspeakers from which

810-509: The building. The structure of the lodge, named after nearby Mount Asama , made it a stronghold: it was a three-story wood and concrete edifice built into the side of the hill atop an exposed base of steel-reinforced concrete. The upper floor was slightly larger than the two below, giving the lodge a mushroom appearance. The lodge towered over the steep, snow-covered slopes below and its windows had heavy outer storm shutters. The building's maze-like floor plan and narrow staircases made it easy for

855-476: The compound or at a nearby village. Five others, armed with rifles and shotguns, managed to escape, fleeing on foot through the mountains towards the community of Karuizawa in nearby Nagano Prefecture . These five fugitives were Kunio Bandō (25), a graduate of Kyoto University ; Masakuni Yoshino (23), a senior at Yokohama National University ; Hiroshi Sakaguchi (25) a dropout of Tokyo Suisan University ; Jirō Katō (19), and his brother Saburō Katō (16). Sighting

900-405: The country's past. The film is the political response to and criticism of Yukio Mishima 's short film Patriotism . Caterpillar criticizes Japanese militarism , satirically deploys Japanese propaganda, and significantly politicizes and humanizes Edogawa Rampo 's 1929 banned short-story. The film demystifies the glorification of war, which is used to hide war's grim reality. It also depicts

945-468: The decade, these movements had become very factionalized, competitive, and violent. After a series of incidents in which leftist student groups injured or killed law enforcement officials and civilians, the National Police Agency cracked down on these groups, raiding their hideouts and arresting dozens in 1971 and 1972. Attempting to conceal themselves from the police, a core group of radicals from

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990-413: The defenders to block off movement inside. The radicals would spend most of their time on the uppermost floor, which contained a kitchen, dining room, tatami -mat sleeping room, and a commanding view of the surrounding valley and hills. The radicals placed large pieces of furniture and futon bedding around the doors and windows and secured them in place with wire. When Muta's husband returned and saw

1035-543: The execution of their duties, violation of the Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law , and illegal confinement . Four were sentenced to long prison terms and Sakaguchi was sentenced to death . On 24 June 2013, the Supreme Court of Japan rejected an appeal from Sakaguchi for a retrial, leaving him on death row awaiting execution. Of the three Katō brothers, the eldest died during the internal group "review process" (purge),

1080-411: The group plus one bystander dead, broke into a holiday lodge below Mount Asama , taking the wife of the lodge-keeper as a hostage. A standoff between Japanese police and the URA radicals took place, lasting ten days. The lodge was a natural fortress, solidly constructed of thick concrete on a steep hillside with only one entrance, which, along with their guns, enabled the hostage-takers to keep police at

1125-471: The incident began, the remaining four radicals were taken into custody and Muta was rescued. Muta was cold but uninjured and told police that her captors had not mistreated her, although they had tied her to a bed during most of the standoff. That same evening, despondent over his son's behavior, Bandō's father hanged himself in his home in Ōtsu , a city near Kyoto . At 9:40 a.m. on February 28, public broadcaster NHK began live, continuous coverage of

1170-642: The late 1960s were very low-budget, but often artistically done works, usually concerned with sex and extreme violence mixed with political messages. Some critics have suggested that these films were an intentional provocation to the government, in order to generate free publicity resulting from censorship controversies. His films were usually produced for less than 1,000,000 yen (about $ 5,000), necessitating extreme cost-cutting measures including location shooting, single-takes, and natural lighting. His early films were usually in black and white with occasional bursts of color for theatrical effect. His first self-produced film

1215-458: The lodge. A crane equipped with a wrecking ball and an armored driver's compartment was positioned near the building and police armed themselves with ladders, heavy mallets, and chainsaws. Muta's husband implored the radicals by loudspeaker to release his wife, but was ignored. On February 27, the police used a baseball pitching machine to bombard the building with rocks to keep the hostage-takers awake all night. The police moved into position for

1260-669: The mountainous area of NW Gunma Prefecture . The Keihin Group went to the mountainous area of Gunma Prefecture and set up agitpunkt (agitation points; an aggressive name for a hide-out), collectively the "mountain base" (separate bases on the slopes of Mount Haruna , Mount Kasho, and Mount Myōgi ). Separately, the Red Army Faction left the cities and set up an agitpunkt in Yamanashi Prefecture (the Niikura Base). Using funds from

1305-678: The parents of several of the radicals implored them to surrender, to no avail. One of the participating parent’s son had been killed in the purge incident, but both the police and the parent were unaware of this because the full extent of the purge had not yet become known. On February 25, a police tactical team (the Riot Police Unit of the Nagano PPH, with the support of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department , Kanagawa PPH, and Yamanashi PPH) began preparations to assault

1350-441: The period February 22 to July 23, 1971 (referred to by police as "Operation M", for "money"). At the time, leftist student demonstrations were losing momentum, but other than a few journalists and security specialists, no one had heard of these groups before. The police launched a nationwide manhunt, making it impossible for perpetrators to hide, even in distant cities such as Sapporo and Kyoto ; both groups decided to converge in

1395-491: The police and press after she was rescued. The incident, along with the Lod Airport massacre which occurred several months later and several hijackings, contributed to an intense social backlash amongst the Japanese population against radical student leftist groups. After the hostage incident, the leftist movement in Japan greatly decreased in numbers and enjoyed much less popular support. A 2007 film by Kōji Wakamatsu about

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1440-526: The police pursuit near Karuizawa on February 19, the five radicals took refuge in a vacation lodge called Asama Sansō (Asama Mountain Villa) owned by Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing . The radicals entered the lodge and discovered Yasuko Muta, the 31-year-old wife of the lodge's caretaker. She was the only person in the building, as her husband was walking the dog and the lodge's guests had gone ice skating. The radicals took Muta hostage at gunpoint and barricaded

1485-520: The prompt response of the police, most raiders escaped by car but two were left behind; once arrested, they identified the culprits, resulting in Nagata, Sakaguchi, and the others being placed on the wanted list. Separately, the Red Army Faction led by Tsuneo Mori , and including Kunio Bandō (who is still at large), carried out a series of robberies—4 banks, 3 post offices, and an elementary school—over

1530-548: The radicals' defenses on the top floor, and hours later had not made much headway. They directed high-pressure water hoses at the top floor, gouging out large holes in the building's walls and drenching the radicals and Muta with cold water. During this time, the radicals kept up continuous gunfire on the assaulting police and threw homemade bombs at them. Two policemen, Inspector Shigemitsu Takami (42) and Superintendent Hisataka Uchida (47) were shot and killed and fifteen other policemen were injured. A civilian observer who intruded into

1575-457: The revolutionary movements are always infiltrated by the moles working for the government". One of his most critically esteemed films is Sacred Mother Kannon ( 聖母観音大菩薩 , Seibo Kannon Daibosatsu , 1977) , which has been called a "'text book example' for the use of metaphor and symbolism in contemporary cinema." United Red Army ( 連合赤軍 , Rengo Sekigun , 2008) was based on the " Asama-Sansō incident ". Long and harsh, this movie includes

1620-466: The robberies, the URA purchased weapons from the Keihin Group, and in early December 1971 the first joint military exercises were held between the two groups (29 members total). However, a faction emerged within the Keihin Group that resisted integration. On 18 December, radio news announced that Shibano Haruhiko , a member of the Keihin group still in the Tokyo area, had been shot to death during an assault on

1665-501: The second (aged 19 when arrested) was sentenced to 13 years hard labor, and the youngest (16 when arrested) was sent to reform school. On August 8, 1975, the Japanese government released Bandō and flew him to asylum in Libya in response to demands from Japanese Red Army members who had stormed the U.S. and Swedish embassies in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia and taken 53 hostages . Bandō later

1710-509: The siege that lasted until 8:20 p.m. that night. Ratings for NHK's coverage averaged 50.8% and peaked at 89.7% at 6:26 p.m. Vehicle traffic was noticeably lighter throughout the day in Tokyo . Media coverage showing police officers consuming cup noodles is attributed to have popularized instant noodles as an emergency food in Japan. The five radicals were charged on six counts: two murders , one attempted murder , obstructing police in

1755-623: The studio, based on sensational topics of the day. He became interested in the Pink Film genre after the success of Tetsuji Takechi 's 1964 Daydream . Nikkatsu submitted his Skeleton in the Closet ( 壁の中の秘事 , Kabe no Naka no Himegoto ) (also known as Secrets Behind the Wall ) (1965) to the 15th Berlin International Film Festival while the film was still under review by Eirin , the Japanese film-rating board. This submission before passing Eirin's review

1800-474: The unfair demands placed on Japanese women , during war and peacetime. The film represents a departure from Japanese films of the immediate post-war year, which often emphasized a notion of Japanese victimhood with little or no acknowledgement of wartime atrocities. There are frequent references in the film to the mass rape and murder of Chinese civilians during the Second Sino-Japanese War. There

1845-416: Was The Embryo Hunts In Secret ( 胎児が密猟する時 , Taiji ga Mitsuryō Suru Toki , 1966) , a story of a man who kidnaps, tortures and sexually abuses a woman until she finally escapes and stabs him to death. Freeze-frames , flash-backs, hand-held camera and locations limited to two rooms and a hallway add to the film's disturbing, claustrophobic atmosphere. Vagabond of Sex ( 性の放浪 , Sei no Hōrō , 1967)

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1890-451: Was a parody of Imamura 's A Man Vanishes (1967). In Wakamatsu's film, a man leaves his family in Tokyo to travel and engage in various sexual escapades. When he returns home he finds out that his wife is starring in Imamura's documentary about her search for her missing husband. Violated Angels ( 犯された白衣 , Okasareta Hakui , 1967) was based on the murder of eight nursing students in

1935-520: Was at the Gunma compound, on the second week of February 1972, that URA chairman Tsuneo Mori and vice-chairman Hiroko Nagata initiated a violent purge of the group. Nagata and Mori directed the deaths by beating of eight URA members, as well as one non-member who happened to be present. Six other members were tied to trees outside, where they froze to death in the frigid weather. On February 16, police arrested Mori, Nagata, and six other URA members at either

1980-461: Was doubly embarrassing for the government since pink films, though already emerging as the dominant domestic cinematic genre, were not regarded as worthy of critical attention or international export. The film received an enthusiastic reception at the festival, but Nikkatsu, fearful of governmental retaliatory action, gave it a low-profile domestic release. Disappointed, Wakamatsu quit the studio to form his own company. Wakamatsu's independent films of

2025-402: Was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival . Shinobu Terajima received the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for her portrayal of Kurokawa's wife. Asama-Sans%C5%8D incident [REDACTED]   Japan The Asama-Sansō incident ( あさま山荘事件 , Asama sansō jiken ) was a hostage crisis and police standoff at

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