Japan Sinks
Encyclopedia
is a 2006 Tokusatsu
film directed by Shinji Higuchi
, and a remake of the 1973 screenplay
based on the Komatsu novel. It stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
, Kou Shibasaki
, Etsushi Toyokawa
, and Mao Daichi, and was released on July 15, 2006.
The film is also known under the titles "The Sinking of Japan" and "Doomsday: The Sinking of Japan".
It was parodied in Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu
("Everyone but Japan Sinks").
in Shizuoka Prefecture
is struck by a devastating earthquake
. Two hours later, in deserted downtown Numazu, Shizuoka
, Toshio Onodera wakes up, only to find he is pinned inside his car. He finds a lost girl, Misaki, also a survivor. An aftershock uproots the electric lines and triggering an explosion. A rescue helicopter led by Reiko Abe (Kou Shibasaki
) arrives and picks up the two.
In Tokyo
, geologist
s around the world become concerned about Japan; one predicts that the country will sink within 40 years. Japanese geoscientist Yusuke Tadokoro doubts the prediction. His quest to dispel it brings him to analyze rocks in Kyushu
, Hokkaido
, and Mangaia
in the Cook Islands
, where he hypothesizes that the rock came from the ancient continent of Japan after it split from Pangaea
thousands of years ago. Tadokoro realizes Japan will sink in 338.54 days instead of the original 40-year estimate. Tadokoro reports his theory to the Cabinet, recommending immediate action, but none of the ministers are convinced. He is ejected from the chamber, but not before he angrily explains to everyone how Japan will sink, with the destruction of the Fossa Magna and the eruption of Mt Fuji as the climax.
The next day, Prime Minister Yamamoto goes to China
to try arranging a resettlement for Japanese refugees and appoints a close colleague, Saori Takamori, as disaster management minister. Tadokoro's predictions come to light: in Hokkaido, the Daisetsuzan volcano range
bursts along with Mount Aso. The eruption destroys Yamamoto's plane while Kumamoto City's
residents flee in terror.
Takamori panics when she finds out about the prime minister's death. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions rock southwest Japan, including Nagasaki
, Kagoshima
and Osaka
. Refugees from Japan begin to evacuate. The economy collapses. The government declares a state of emergency
but de facto Prime Minister Kyosuke Nozaki announces that Japan will take five years to sink. Because of Nozaki's indifference to the situation, Takamori runs to Tadokoro's laboratory, where he proposes using experimental N2 explosives drilled into the crust to separate the land from the megalith pulling it down. The minister, who is actually Tadokoro's ex-wife, goes off to call for help from all drillships around the world.
Misaki's mother, dying, orders her to survive. Misaki, Reiko's family and the rest of Tokyo's populace is evacuated. Onodera confesses his true feelings for Reiko. He tries to persuade her to go to England with him. Evacuations continue throughout the country as the destruction rages. Onodera visits his mother in Fukushima Prefecture
. She tells him that she will not leave her ancestors. An aftershock finally destroys the Kinki region and the Tokyo evacuees are nearly killed by a massive landslide, with people falling into the valley below as Misaki is rescued by Reiko's family and they witness a crowded bridge collapse.
Meanwhile, Tadokoro hires Yuki Tatsuya, Onodera's fellow submersible pilot, to activate the warheads from a central module. Unfortunately, Tatsuya is killed in the attempt. Onodera, who wanted to take Reiko and Misaki to live with him in England, takes his place using an old submersible brought out of museum storage and spends a night with Reiko before the operation. Although he locates the detonation module, a sudden landslide damages his submersible to the point that it is running on emergency power. Onodera uses all the remaining power to move into position and install the detonator. Mount Fuji begins to erupt. Toshio succeeds in his task and calmly awaits his doom. The warheads explode, creating a chain of explosions along the seafloor, saving Japan.
The success of the mission reaches Takamori aboard the amphibious carrier Shimokita
, which has been converted as the Japanese government's temporary headquarters. Although she recommends that Nozaki address the refugees, her colleagues want her to do it instead, given her leadership during the crisis. She announces that people can finally return and holds a moment of silence in honor of Tatsuya and Onodera's sacrifice. In Fukushima, Toshio's mother is overjoyed when she sees birds return- a sign of his success. Reiko rescues her family as they look towards a bright sunrise, before the credits start rolling, showing a new Japan.
-based Paragon Home Video, Rated PG and for all DVD regions.
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
film directed by Shinji Higuchi
Shinji Higuchi
is a storyboard artist and is one of the top special effects wizards in Japan, best known for his work on the Heisei Gamera Trilogy. He works on both anime and tokusatsu projects.-Biography:...
, and a remake of the 1973 screenplay
Nihon Chinbotsu (1973 film)
is a 1973 film directed by Shiro Moritani. It is based on the novel Japan Sinks by Sakyo Komatsu, published the same year. The film stars Lorne Greene, Keiju Kobayashi, Hiroshi Fujioka and Ayumi Ishida. A remake was released in 2006, Nihon Chinbotsu, loosely based on a second section of this...
based on the Komatsu novel. It stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
is a Japanese entertainer. Kusanagi is a member of the popular Japanese idol group SMAP and has also appeared in a number of television dramas, variety shows and movies.-Background:Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan....
, Kou Shibasaki
Kou Shibasaki
, born Yukie Yamamura, on August 5, 1981 in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is a Japanese singer and actress.-Music career:Shibasaki made her debut in the music industry in 2002 with her first single Trust My Feelings, but she became recognized for her second single Tsuki no shizuku which was used for the...
, Etsushi Toyokawa
Etsushi Toyokawa
to pursue a career in acting. He began by joining the sho-gekijo theatrical troupe "Under Thirty," which was known for the membership of another famous actor, Watanabe Eriko, at the time...
, and Mao Daichi, and was released on July 15, 2006.
The film is also known under the titles "The Sinking of Japan" and "Doomsday: The Sinking of Japan".
It was parodied in Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu
Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu
is a 2006 Japanese black comedy film directed by Minoru Kawasaki. It is a parody of the 2006 film Nihon Chinbotsu .The original short novel written by Yasutaka Tsutsui criticizes nationalism and racism. It also describes humans as powerless against disaster.-Plot:In the year 2011 the greatest...
("Everyone but Japan Sinks").
Synopsis
Suruga BaySuruga Bay
Suruga Bay is a bay on the Pacific coast of Honshū in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is situated north of an imaginary line joining Omaezaki Point and Irōzaki Point at the tip of the Izu Peninsula and surrounded by Honshū to the southwest and west and the Izu Peninsula to the east.-Geology:Suruga...
in Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
is struck by a devastating earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
. Two hours later, in deserted downtown Numazu, Shizuoka
Numazu, Shizuoka
is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 205,636 and a population density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area was 187.11 km².- Geography:...
, Toshio Onodera wakes up, only to find he is pinned inside his car. He finds a lost girl, Misaki, also a survivor. An aftershock uproots the electric lines and triggering an explosion. A rescue helicopter led by Reiko Abe (Kou Shibasaki
Kou Shibasaki
, born Yukie Yamamura, on August 5, 1981 in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is a Japanese singer and actress.-Music career:Shibasaki made her debut in the music industry in 2002 with her first single Trust My Feelings, but she became recognized for her second single Tsuki no shizuku which was used for the...
) arrives and picks up the two.
In Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s around the world become concerned about Japan; one predicts that the country will sink within 40 years. Japanese geoscientist Yusuke Tadokoro doubts the prediction. His quest to dispel it brings him to analyze rocks in Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, and Mangaia
Mangaia
Mangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga.-Geography:...
in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, where he hypothesizes that the rock came from the ancient continent of Japan after it split from Pangaea
Pangaea
Pangaea, Pangæa, or Pangea is hypothesized as a supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras about 250 million years ago, before the component continents were separated into their current configuration....
thousands of years ago. Tadokoro realizes Japan will sink in 338.54 days instead of the original 40-year estimate. Tadokoro reports his theory to the Cabinet, recommending immediate action, but none of the ministers are convinced. He is ejected from the chamber, but not before he angrily explains to everyone how Japan will sink, with the destruction of the Fossa Magna and the eruption of Mt Fuji as the climax.
The next day, Prime Minister Yamamoto goes to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to try arranging a resettlement for Japanese refugees and appoints a close colleague, Saori Takamori, as disaster management minister. Tadokoro's predictions come to light: in Hokkaido, the Daisetsuzan volcano range
Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group
The is a volcanic group of peaks arranged around the wide caldera in Hokkaidō, Japan. In the Ainu language it is known as Nutapukaushipe or Nutaku Kamushupe. These peaks are the highest in Hokkaidō...
bursts along with Mount Aso. The eruption destroys Yamamoto's plane while Kumamoto City's
Kumamoto, Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Greater Kumamoto has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 census...
residents flee in terror.
Takamori panics when she finds out about the prime minister's death. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions rock southwest Japan, including Nagasaki
Nagasaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...
, Kagoshima
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
and Osaka
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
. Refugees from Japan begin to evacuate. The economy collapses. The government declares a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
but de facto Prime Minister Kyosuke Nozaki announces that Japan will take five years to sink. Because of Nozaki's indifference to the situation, Takamori runs to Tadokoro's laboratory, where he proposes using experimental N2 explosives drilled into the crust to separate the land from the megalith pulling it down. The minister, who is actually Tadokoro's ex-wife, goes off to call for help from all drillships around the world.
Misaki's mother, dying, orders her to survive. Misaki, Reiko's family and the rest of Tokyo's populace is evacuated. Onodera confesses his true feelings for Reiko. He tries to persuade her to go to England with him. Evacuations continue throughout the country as the destruction rages. Onodera visits his mother in Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
. She tells him that she will not leave her ancestors. An aftershock finally destroys the Kinki region and the Tokyo evacuees are nearly killed by a massive landslide, with people falling into the valley below as Misaki is rescued by Reiko's family and they witness a crowded bridge collapse.
Meanwhile, Tadokoro hires Yuki Tatsuya, Onodera's fellow submersible pilot, to activate the warheads from a central module. Unfortunately, Tatsuya is killed in the attempt. Onodera, who wanted to take Reiko and Misaki to live with him in England, takes his place using an old submersible brought out of museum storage and spends a night with Reiko before the operation. Although he locates the detonation module, a sudden landslide damages his submersible to the point that it is running on emergency power. Onodera uses all the remaining power to move into position and install the detonator. Mount Fuji begins to erupt. Toshio succeeds in his task and calmly awaits his doom. The warheads explode, creating a chain of explosions along the seafloor, saving Japan.
The success of the mission reaches Takamori aboard the amphibious carrier Shimokita
Osumi class LST
The Ōsumi class LST , is a Japanese amphibious transport dock. While the JMSDF describes the Ōsumi class as tank landing ships, they lack the bow doors and beaching capability traditionally associated with LSTs...
, which has been converted as the Japanese government's temporary headquarters. Although she recommends that Nozaki address the refugees, her colleagues want her to do it instead, given her leadership during the crisis. She announces that people can finally return and holds a moment of silence in honor of Tatsuya and Onodera's sacrifice. In Fukushima, Toshio's mother is overjoyed when she sees birds return- a sign of his success. Reiko rescues her family as they look towards a bright sunrise, before the credits start rolling, showing a new Japan.
DVDs
The film was released in 2007 (as Sinking of Japan) by PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
-based Paragon Home Video, Rated PG and for all DVD regions.
Cast
- Tsuyoshi KusanagiTsuyoshi Kusanagiis a Japanese entertainer. Kusanagi is a member of the popular Japanese idol group SMAP and has also appeared in a number of television dramas, variety shows and movies.-Background:Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan....
- Toshio Onodera, a submersible pilot working for Tadokoro - Kou ShibasakiKou Shibasaki, born Yukie Yamamura, on August 5, 1981 in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is a Japanese singer and actress.-Music career:Shibasaki made her debut in the music industry in 2002 with her first single Trust My Feelings, but she became recognized for her second single Tsuki no shizuku which was used for the...
- Reiko Abe, a member of the Tokyo Hyper-Rescue team - Etsushi ToyokawaEtsushi Toyokawato pursue a career in acting. He began by joining the sho-gekijo theatrical troupe "Under Thirty," which was known for the membership of another famous actor, Watanabe Eriko, at the time...
- Yusuke Tadokoro, geologist - Mao Daichi - Saori Takamori, Cabinet minister
- Mitsuhiro Oikawa - Yuki Tatsuya, submersible pilot
- Mayuko FukudaMayuko Fukuda, born on August 4, 1994 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese child actress who made her debut in 1998. She is contracted to talent agency FLaMme.Her father, Kenji Fukuda, is a drummer in the band Kasutera.- Profile :*Nicknames: , *Interests: art...
- Misaki Kuraki, young child found in Numazu - Jun Kunimura - acting Prime Minister Kyosuke Nozaki
- Koji Ishizaka - Prime Minister Yamamoto
External links
- Official TBS website
- Review of the film at Dreamlogic.net