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Story
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.
Credits
Kihachi Okamoto
director
Kaneto Shindō
writer
Keiju Kobayashi
General Ushijima
Tetsuro Tamba
Lieutenant General Isamu Cho
Tatsuya Nakadai
Colonel Hiromichi Yahara
Yūsuke Kawazu
Naomichi Jin
Ichirō Nakatani
Chief of Staff Ueno
Ryō Ikebe
Rear Admiral Ota
Shigeru Kōyama
Akira Shimada
Kunie Tanaka
Barber Higa
Eijirō Tōno
Yoshijirō Umezu
Jun Hamamura
Shuki Izumi
Akira Yamanouchi
Shūichi Miyazaki
Jūkei Fujioka
Sanada
Shin Kishida
Meguro
Yūzō Kayama
Dr. Higa
Mayumi Ozora
Nurse Uehara
Wakako Sakai
Tokashiki
Kenjirō Ishiyama
Rikichi Andō
Hisashi Igawa
Koichi Ito
Hirayoshi Aono
Masao Watanabe
Gorō Mutsumi
Yakamaru
Etsushi Takahashi
Yokichi Kaga
Hideyo Amamoto
Principal Noda
Masao Imafuku
Principal Teruya
Kenji Sahara
Teacher Tamayose
Yūsuke Takita
Teacher Nakasone
Katsuhiko Sasaki
Communications Officer Miyake
Takamaru Sasaki
Ugaki
Ren Yamamoto
Sergeant Omori
Kazuo Suzuki
Nakajima
Yutaka Nakayama
Private Yoshizaki
Chōtarō Tōgin
Suwabe
Isao Hashimoto
Captain Masunaga
Daigo Kusano
Captain Okuyama
Isao Tamagawa
Kamai
Minori Terada
Mitsuru Yoshida
Ben Hiura
Lieutenant Nishioka
Takeo Chii
Ogura
Haruo Suzuki
Sergeant Major
Wataru Ōmae
Coastal Sentry
Kiyoshi Yamamoto
Military Police Commander
Eimei Esumi
Regimental District Headquarters Officer
Sachio Sakai
Water Seller
Kōji Mitsui
Old Man
Kamatari Fujiwara
Old Man in Tomb
Yutaka Sada
Father in Tomb
Hiroyuki Kawase
Child in Tomb
Machiko Naka
Mother
Jun Funato
Officer
Naoko Ohtani
Young Woman
Ryōsuke Kagawa
Ill Man
Shōichi Hirose
Haruya Katō
Naoya Kusakawa
Michitarō Mizushima
Kotaro Tomita
Kiyoshi Kobayashi
Narrator (voice)
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