JAPANJAPANSOCIETY SOCIETY ofImaGEARTSof IMAGE ARTS and SCIENCES The Banning ofJapanese Peried Filrns 1es THE BANNING OF JAPANESE PERIOD FILMS BY THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION Kyoko HIRANO introduction cinema was From September 1945 through April 1952, Japanese under the cornplete control of the American Occupation. The Occupa- tion's policies with respect to film were carried out by .means of propa- ganda and censorship, based on plans made while America and Japan were still at war, Propaganda was the responsibility of CIE (Civil Infor- mation and Education) Sectien,i whose rnain goal was to teach Ameri- can values to the eccupied nation, through the Japanese media, by en- couraging some values and goals and discouraging others. The second task was given to CCD (Civil Censorship Detachment), whose purpose was to prohibit any informatien conveyed by the media which rnight be unsuit- able or dangerous to the Occupation. whether or not Although CCD technically had the final authority over a film, either Japanese or foreign, could be shown to the Japa'nese au- dience, the Motion Picture Unit of the Motion Picture and Theatrica] Branch (MPTB) of CIEwas given the role of prior-production and post- production censorship. This unit demanded that each film company subrnit filrn projects and scripts, in both Japanese and Engli'sh, for its "`suggest" consideration. Its role was to changes at the stages of synopsis, "any- screenplay, and completed film, if it found that a film contained thing detrimental to the obiectives of the Occupation." After CIE's censorship, the Press, Pictorial and Broadcasting (PPB) Division Df CCD conducted its ewn, independent post-pro duction censorship. This double censorship of all fi1rns shown in Japan2 continued until June 1949, when the Eiga Rinri Kitei Kanri Iinkai or Eirin [Committee on Film Ethics Regulation Control] was established. CIE's prior- production censorship and CCD's censorship were discontinued at this time; however, CIE clearance for completed films was required until the end of the Oecupation (April 28, 1952), in connection with the Civil Intelligence Division (CID) which in July 1949 took over the functions HIRANO is completing her Ph.D. degree in cinema at New York Uniyersity, She is Film ftogam Coordinator at Japan Society, New York. NII-Electronic Library Service JAPANJAPANSOCIETY SOCIETY ofImaGEARTSof IMAGE ARTS andandSCIENCES SCIENCES 1su Kyoko HIRANO ofCCD.3 The doubleedged sword ef the Occupation film policy, consisting of propaganda and censorship, took the forms of recommendatjons and pTohibitions. The Americans tried to re-educate the Japanese mind by "demecratic" suggesting that the Japanese film industry concentrate on subjects and themes, such as premeting civil rights, equal rights and those `fmilita- who fought against fascism, On the other hand, they prohibited "feudalistic" ristic" and subjects, along with criticism of the Occupation, anti-social behavior, anti-foreignisrn and degradation of religion, which the Americans believed were not only anti-democratic, but also has been the philosophical values ultimately responsible for the war., The banning of period films by American censors was one of the most serious blows to the Japanes,e film industry, which had traditionally relied on and specialized in this genre. [Ihis paper will examine how the occupiers becarne convinced of the negative yalues of Japanese peried films, what aspects they considered particularly offensive, and how Japa- nese film-makers responded. The research materials consist of primary soutces including American documents, films, and interviews with Japanese fiim-makers; arrd secondary sources including American and Japanese writings on the policies and their impact. Banned Films "Memo- On November 16 1945, the GHQ (General Headquarters)'s randum Concerning the Elimination of Undemocratic Motion Pictures" "bunka banned 236 feature films and many eiga" [Cultural Documen- `filji tary Films] and eiga" [Current Newsreel Films] which had been made after the 1931 Manchurian Incident. The list included those which had just been completed and were waiting for clearance. [[his directive condemned past Japanese films for having been utilized to propagate "nationalistic, mihtaristic and feudalistic concepts; i.e., confbrmity to "Warrior a feudal code, contempt for life, creation of the Spirit,' the `Yamato' `special uniqueness and superiority of the [Japanese racej,the role ofJapan in Asia; etc." The list is said to have been originally prepared by the Psychological Warfare Branch (PWB) of the Office of War Information (OWI),4 whose staff included Don BRowN,5 Arthur BEHRsTocK6 and David CoNDE,7 As the chief of the Motion Hcture Unit, Conde was directly responsible for film policy. Ihese officials had been questioning Japanese prisoners' of war, including those who were in the film business. The latter became their source of information concerning the situation of the Japanese fi1rn industry. The PWB used this information in planning the Occupa- tion film policy.B In October 1945, CIE had demanded that Eiga Kosha (Film Corpora- NII-Electronic Library Service JAPANJAPANSOCIETY SOCIETY ofImaGEARTSof IMAGE ARTS and SCIENCES The Banning of Japanese Period Films ;95 tion) submit a list of al1 feature films made after 1931. Eiga Kosha made up such a list, complete with English titles and plot summaries, including 455 films in all. CIE then demanded that Eiga Kosha decide which among these had helped propagate the war and should thus be banned. Eiga Kosha hurriedly chose 227 films, prebtibly based on their titles and the information at Naimu-sho [Ministry of Interior Affairs] and Joho- thathe didnot add any kyoku [Information Bureau] .9 Conde insisted to this list, merely approving the list prepared by Eiga Kosha, although somehow, the nurnber had increased froin 227 to 236 by the November 16 directive, (Still, many sources have listed the final number ofbanned. films as 227.iO) Many people have criticized the excessive application of "self-censorship" this directive; however Conde blamed it on the of the Ia,,P,","e,ge,`le]fi2',\lg.',W,?8,M.'dg.:P.ih.e,/ISg,i:,g,h.Ut12fg.a",d.p.'o,b.??iyde' All negatives and prints of the films on the list were confiscated after a through search on a prefecture-by-prefecture basis.i2 After the prints and negatives were collected at Nairnu-sho, it was decided that four prints and a negative of each film weuld be sent to GHQ, some of which would later be submitted to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and others would be turned over under the custedy of Monbu-sho S)]:llgis,t,i,y,o,f,2d,".ca;.`?k],i'3..O.",x,nS.EattV9,,",ld,::1,;,l,pttS.O,,',Za,C:,#,'Ill, at were burned by the US Eighth Army at the Yomiuri Airfield, located the bahk of Tokye's Tama River, on April 23, May 2 and 4, 1946,i5 the on Banned Motion Pic- In the press release concerning directive tures, Conde acknowledged that although he had no intention to destroy "films of cultural or literary value to the people," the films on the list "have been so distorted in their use for propaganda purposes that they cannot now be shown without continuing to foster anti-democratic attitudes." Thus, Conde contended that these films must be banned and "might to rnisuse" should the surplus prints in Japan which be subjected be destroyed.i6 the films,itwas highly In additien to the political risks of keeping dangerous to keep a great number of inflammable prints for an indefinite largely as a safety period, and the burning of these films was justified the unpre- measure, However, this sensitivity of CIE, which resulted in cedented action of burning film, gave the Occupation Forces an authori- tarian irnage in the Japanese mind. Prohibitions themes which would On November 22, 1945, CIE announced thirteen the Henceforth for- be prohibited infilmsproduced under Occupation. with militarisrn;2) show- bidden were any filmsdeemed to be l)infused NII-Electronic Library Service JAPANJAPANSOCIETY SOCIETY ofImaGEARTSof IMAGE ARTS andandSCIENCES SCIENCES 196 Kyoko HIRANO ing revenge as legitimate a motive; 3) nationalistic; 4) chauvinistic and anti-foreign; 5) distorting historical facts; 6) favoring racial or religious discrimination; 7) portraying feudal loyalty or contempt of life as desira- ble and henorable; 8) approving suicide either directly or indirectly; 9) dealing with or approving the subjugation or degradation ofwomen; 1O) depicting brutality, violence or evi1 as triumphant; 11) anti-democratic; 12) condoning the exploitation of children, or 13) at variance with the spirit or letter ef the Potsdam Declaration or any SCAP (Supreme 7 Commander for Allied Powers) directive.i This directive was the of what repre- fbrmalization CIE had told the sentatives of the Japanese film industry on September 22, 1946, at which time the CIE officers described the problem which they believed was common to Japanese.film and theater: Kabuki theater is based on and feudalisticloyalty sees faith in revenge. The world not accept present does this morality any more. The Japanese will never be able to understand the principles of internationa! society as far as things such as fraud, murders and betrayals are justified by the principle of rev.enge, regardless of law. Of course, serious crimes also occur in Western countries; however, Western moraljty is COncepts of good and evil, not on feudalloyalty. ?.7.le)(d, ,O)n The CIE oencials felt a strong antipathy toward Kabuki theater and the traditional values of loyalty and revenge, which they considered of