The Battle of Okinawa

As the American forces close on Okinawa, the Japanese command sends generals and divisions to hold the island at any cost. But as resources and troops are diverted to other islands the mission falls apart. The evacuation of civilians ends in disaster and most non combatants have to stay on the island; many of them are counted as soldiers. Contradictory orders from Tokyo consume time and strength. In the end the command decides the island cannot be held and effectively abandons the men defending it. The film does not hide that most of the dead were civilians. The account manufactures no heroism; what it shows above all is that the decisions were always made somewhere else and the price was paid on the island. Kihachi Okamoto’s hundred and forty nine minute Japanese film was completed in 1971.