Backdrop

The Battle of Okinawa

The Americans are swiftly closing on Okinawa, an island just south of the Japanese mainland. The Imperial command sends top generals and several army divisions to defend it at all costs. The mission quickly degenerates as vital resources and troops are diverted to other islands. After a civilian evacuation ends in tragedy most of non-combatants are forced to remain on the island. Many convert to soldier status. Tokyo sends mixed messages that squander time and resources, as when they order the defenders to build an airstrip for aircraft that never come. The truth soon becomes obvious: the high command decides that the island cannot be held and effectively abandons the Okinawan defenders. When the Americans land many troops are deployed in the wrong places. As the slaughter mounts, a suicidal attitude takes hold. Okinawa becomes a death trap, for civilian volunteers and non-combatants as well.

1971 |2h 29m |  War, History

Videos

Cast

cast

Keiju Kobayashi

General Ushijima

cast

Yūzō Kayama

cast

Tetsuro Tamba

Lieutenant General Isamu Cho

cast

Tatsuya Nakadai

Colonel Hiromichi Yahara

cast

Mayumi Ozora

cast

Kenji Sahara

cast

Katsuhiko Sasaki

Communications Officer Miyake

cast

Hideyo Amamoto

Okinawa Regional Officer

cast

Ryō Ikebe

Rear Admiral Ota

cast

Ichirō Nakatani

Chief of Staff Ueno

cast

Gorō Mutsumi

cast

Kamatari Fujiwara

cast

Takamaru Sasaki

cast

Akira Yamanouchi

cast

Eijirō Tōno

cast

Sachio Sakai

cast

Ren Yamamoto

Sergeant Omori

cast

Chōtarō Tōgin

cast

Shōichi Hirose

cast

Yutaka Sada

cast

Kazuo Suzuki

cast

Yutaka Nakayama

cast

Masao Imafuku

cast

Haruya Katō

cast

Hiroyuki Kawase

cast

Naoya Kusakawa

cast

Machiko Naka

cast

Kunie Tanaka

cast

Wakako Sakai

cast

Kenjirō Ishiyama

cast

Shin Kishida

cast

Shigeru Kōyama

cast

Michitarō Mizushima

cast

Etsushi Takahashi

cast

Kotaro Tomita

cast

Jun Hamamura

cast

Kōji Mitsui

More Details

Status

Released

Language

Japanese

Budget

-

Revenue

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