This black & white military information film is about Japan in the aftermath of WWII, and shows the nation coming back to life in the wake of defeat and surrender. The film emphasizes the modern nation’s rebirth, its emergence as a democracy, and looks at its natural resources and products, including silk, tea, paper, automobiles, ceramics and more. This film is copyright 1951, which was roughly six months after the outbreak of the Korean War and 1 year before Japan emerged from military occupation. The film was likely shown as part of the indoctrination process to U.S. servicemen, and potentially their spouses, as they began their service in Japan and Korea. (Note: Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect.)
Title: Armed Forces Screen Report Number 132, Japan (:07-:40). Mount Fuji in Japan, the mountain has a symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped for about 5 months a year, and is commonly used as a symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers. A man walks by the mountain with a horse. Lots of people in a tiny town. IJA soldiers march in front of Emperor HIrohito in the pre-war era. Atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Japan’s “mainland” consists of four primary islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. The islands extend the same latitude as the distance from Maine to Georgia in the USA. Mountains. Plains of the foothills. Men and women eat street food (2:07) in a busy city. Aerial shot of cars. More than 80 million live on these islands. People walk through the city. A man places his hat on dumpster. An executive bows (2:55) in reverence at a temple. A religious procession (:41-3:22). People in a crowd at a political rally (3:16). Everyday life. Oil wells. Men in a mine. Men on fishing boats (4:00). A whale is speared, harpooned. Women swim looking for pearls. Oysters are shucked, pearls are cleaned, then shown on necklaces at a tourist store (4:20). Japanese lumberjacks do log rolling. A dam, hydroelectric power. A small farm, men work on the farm, women work as well (3:23-6:00). Women harvest at a citrus grove. Tea growing in rural Japan. Four foot high bushes provide harvestable tea leaves. A tea sampler grades the quality and tastes it (6:45). Mulberry cultivation. Silkworms. Women work in a factory. Pottery is made. A woman works on a plate. Ceramic works of art. Steel industry. Men and women work. Automobile factory on the line (6:01-8:23). Pharmaceutical factories. Labor union meeting. A man stands up. A little girl sits near a man fishing. Japanese formal etiquette. The serving of tea. In business, etiquette. Japanese bow in the streets. Home decorations. Great Buddha statue (10:00). Christianity church. A nun helps a sick boy. Schools for children. math is taught. Writing is taught with brush and paint (10:40). Paper factory and an automobile factory (8:24-10:57). Book: The Constitution of Japan, May 3, 1947. The Emperor of Japan. Emperor Hirohito meets with his subjects. People cheer him. Life of the imperial family. The Diet building, the symbol of democracy in Japan. A model of it is carried. Legislative body of Japan. A man laughs as a candidate states his case, a sign of emerging democracy in Japan. Men and women flock to hear a candidate. Voting is important. People walk to vote. Voting is being done. Japanese professional baseball game. Children play as well. Sumo wrestling exhibition match watched by many. American Movie Theatre aka Theater Ginza (13:46) with Statue of Liberty signage. Children walk to school. In school they talk (10:58-14:27). End credits (14:28-14:41).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
