August 15, 1945, New Dawn For Japan (1952)
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.
Director: Hideo Sekigawa
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Eiji Okada as Reporter Saeki |
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Kyōko Kagawa as Kimiko Sasaki |
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Yatsuko Tan'ami as Tsuruko Sasaki |
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Kinzō Shin as Private Yamada |
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Hatae Kishi as Ryoko Yamada |
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Tokue Hanazawa as Tome-san |
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Akitake Kōno as Junji Yoshida |
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Masao Mishima as Toyama-san |
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Haruko Toda as Kane-san |
| Directing | Hideo Sekigawa | Director |
| Writing | Yasutaro Yagi | Writer |
| Writing | Yutaka Nishikawa | Writer |
| Production | Toshiyuki Okada | Producer |
| Camera | Shizuka Fujii | Director of Photography |
| Art | Kazuo Kubo | Art Direction |
