5 stirring and heartrending Japanese films about human rights

Japanese entertainment is one of the country’s biggest cultural exports. Japan has enormous soft power through its games, animation, comics and music. The industry produces a lot of wonderful distractions along with more serious-minded art.

Modern Japanese cinema is an excellent example of this. Some of its most noteworthy or interesting films are not afraid to tackle important and sensitive topics.

Here are five Japanese films that cover essential social issues. While their content and approach can be considered uniquely Japanese, some of the issues they deal with can be seen in any country. For those living in Japan, all five can be found on popular streaming services such as Amazon and Netflix.

Shoplifters (2018, Hirokazu Kore-eda)

Shoplifters is widely considered to be one of the best films by director Hirokazu Kore-eda. He is no stranger to covering controversial topics and important issues in Japan. With Shoplifters, Kore-eda partly draws upon his own experiences growing up to paint a portrait of what he considers the “invisible” members of society.

The film follows the lives of a group of people living as a family in poverty, though none of the members are related by blood. As the title suggests, they rely partly on stealing to get by, and this is depicted throughout the film.

The writing and characterization are uncompromising yet sympathetic. They allow viewers to feel for the protagonists even in some of their lowest moments. Shoplifters also asks questions about the meaning of blood ties and what really makes a family.

Close-Knit (2017, Naoko Ogigami)

Close-Knit is another film that covers unconventional families in a different way. Unlike Shoplifters, however, it focuses on LGBTQ issues instead of poverty.

The movie’s child protagonist is neglected by her mother and ends up staying with her uncle. To her surprise, his partner is a transgender woman whom he met at his mother’s nursing home. While she is initially hesitant to open up to his partner, over time all three form a close bond with each other. Not everything goes happily as they face discrimination and prejudice from other characters in the film, such as bullying at school.

The film was conceived by the director after a visit to the United States, where she became more aware of LGBTQ issues. The portrayal of a transgender woman in the film is sympathetic, though the writing is more sentimental and perhaps less nuanced than Shoplifters. It is still worthwhile for anyone wanting to see LGBTQ topics covered from a Japanese perspective.

A Class to Remember (1993, Yoji Yamada)

Simply titled Gakko in Japanese, this is the first Gakko series of four movies. This famous film depicts a night school for adults. The student characters in the movie are all outsiders in Japanese society in some way. The small class shown includes an elderly Korean woman, a half-Japanese Chinese immigrant and an elderly illiterate worker who learns to read and write throughout the film. Through its cast, the film touches upon issues related to race and class.

The main action takes place during the final lesson of the semester, though there are flashbacks showing the lives of the students and the positive impact the teacher, Kuroi-sensei, has had on them. Their stories are told at a leisurely pace. A Class to Remember takes its time exploring its characters and what brought them to study at the night school. The movie shows the value of second chances and the confidence that people can obtain in the right environment.

Mubansou (2016, Hitoshi Yazaki)

Mubansou means “A Cappella” in Japanese and covers LGBTQ issues amongst the many other social changes of the 1960s. It is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Mariko Koike, covering her time growing up in Sendai in this period.

The movie’s title comes from a café that the main characters frequent. The protagonist, Kyoko, gets involved in and is influenced by the social movements of this time, participating in student protests that were sweeping Japan. She meets two men at the café and starts a relationship with one of them. However, she later finds out that the two are romantically involved and are partly using their straight relationships to cover for this fact.

While the film is a coming of age story mainly focused on Kyoko’s development, it is also a sympathetic portrayal of living in the closet as an LGBTQ person. It can also give viewers a look at a part of Japan’s recent history which they may be unfamiliar with.

Hafu (2013, Megumi Nishikura, Lara Perez Takagi)

Family ties are also part of the racial and cultural issues explored in the documentary Hafu. As residents of Japan know, hafu is the term used for biracial people who are born to a Japanese and non-Japanese parent. The movie largely covers the discrimination and other problems faced by five different half Japanese people.

One of the film’s strengths is that it covers the topic from various perspectives. There is great diversity in Hafu’s cast, and we get to see the biracial Japanese experience from both adults and children. Parts of the movie can be difficult to watch, particularly when its cast opens up about bullying and being encouraged to hide their backgrounds from other Japanese. Yet there is also great positivity and hope. Some of the people interviewed discuss their projects and plans to promote diversity in Japan.

This is but a small sample of Japanese films covering critical societal issues. Movies can entertain us. More importantly, they allow us to expand our horizons by showing us the lives and struggles of people from very different backgrounds. The films listed above are not only enjoyable, but they can also help us become more empathetic and caring people.

Read more about discrimination in Japan