August 15, 1945, New Dawn For Japan

July 1945. War‑exhausted Japan groans under the heel of a brutal military regime. Young journalist Saeki struggles to cling to a fading sense of justice. Writer Yoshida slowly loses his convictions to the darkness of unquestioning orders. Kimiko, a young woman, bears the scars of cruelty from the cold‑hearted military police. Private Yamada has deserted the army. His wife, Ryōko, is branded a traitor's wife and relentlessly hunted. When Yamada finally reaches home, he finds his sick child Toshiko lying in bed. The military police drag him away in front of his family; a struggle ensues, and Yamada is shot dead before his wife's eyes. Hiroshima is annihilated by an atomic bomb. Rumors spread of a final decisive battle on the mainland. The people clutch bamboo spears with gaunt hands. Then August 15th arrives: Japan's defeat is laid bare before the stunned populace.

• Release date
• May 1, 1952
• Runtime
• 98 min
• Genres
• War
• Director
• Hideo Sekigawa

Cast

Eiji Okada Reporter Saeki Kyōko Kagawa Kimiko Sasaki Yatsuko Tan'ami Tsuruko Sasaki Kinzō Shin Private Yamada Hatae Kishi Ryoko Yamada Tokue Hanazawa Tome-san Akitake Kōno Junji Yoshida Masao Mishima Toyama-san