Sinking of Japan

Japan Sinks or Sinking of Japan (日本沈没, Nihon Chinbotsu) is the title of a 1973 science fiction novel by Sakyo Komatsu and two film adaptations of that work made in 1973 and 2006. (The novel has also appeared in tokusatsu television drama, manga and radio drama versions.)

Novel

Nine years in the writing, Japan Sinks was published in 1973. The novel received the 27th Japanese Detective Writers Association Prize(?) and 5th Seiun(?) Prize for a Japanese novel-length work.

1973 Film

Japan Sinks (日本沈没)
Directed by	Shirō Moritani
Written by	Sakyō Komatsu (Novel) Shinobu Hashimoto
Cinematography	Daisaku Kimura Hiroshi Murai
Edited by	Michiko Ikeda
Music by	Masaru Satō
Distributed by	Toho
Release dates	December 29, 1973
Running time	143 min.
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Released on December 29 of the same year as the novel, this movie caused a sensation in Japan and paved the way for later "panic" features.

2006 Film

Japan Sinks (日本沈没)
File:Japan sinks.jpg
Directed by	Shinji Higuchi
Written by	Sakyo Komatsu (Novel) Masato Kato
Produced by	Kazuya Hamana Toshiaki Nakazawa
Starring	Tsuyoshi Kusanagi Kou Shibasaki Etsushi Toyokawa Mao Daichi Mitsuhiro Oikawa
Cinematography	Taro Kawazu
Music by	Taro Iwashiro
Release dates	April 15, 2006
Running time	135 min.
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

‎The 2006 Tokusatsu film was directed by Shinji Higuchi and was a remake of the 1973 screenplay based on the Komatsu novel. The film stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kou Shibasaki, Etsushi Toyokawa, and Mao Daichi.

The theme song for the film is "Keep Holding U" by SunMin thanX Kubota. There are selected translated passages in English by Michael Gallagher (translator).

Cameo appearances in the movie include: Hideaki Anno, a cofounder with director Higuchi of Gainax, with his wife as a married couple; Mayumi Shintani, who debuted as a seiyu in the Gainax anime Kare Kano, directed by Anno; and Yoshiyuki Tomino of Mobile Suit Gundam fame.

The movie has been parodied in another movie called "Everyone But Japan Sinks" (日本以外全部沈没).

Synopsis

The film concentrates on the collision of tectonic plates which causes the central plate supporting Japan to break apart. As a result, Japan will break apart and sink into the Pacific Ocean in 338 days.

As an earthquake shakes the country, Toshio (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) saves a girl from the disaster. They are then rescued by Reiko (Kou Shibasaki) in a helicopter. Amidst the vast destruction, the government is left to try to salvage the country. Yusuke (Etsushi Toyokawa) discovers that Japan is on an unstable central plate and will sink within a year.

With the instability of the tectonic plates; earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis continue to hit Japan. The government is forced to attempt to evacuate the population of Japan as the death toll amounts. Many surrounding countries refuse to take the influx of Japanese refugees. Millions of citizens flee to Japan's mountainous highlands. Toshio wants to escape Japan to the United Kingdom, but Reiko sees fleeing as cowardice and tries to rescue more people in japan. Instead, they try to devise a way to save Japan from sinking.

Toshio volunteers to take a submersible down and arm a set of bombs alongside the undersea fault to stop the center plate from collapsing.

External links

• Japan Sinks (Nihon Chinbotsu) Main Page (Japanese)
• Japan Down (Ilbon Chimmol) Main Page (Korean)
• Review of the film at Dreamlogic.net