Zero no shôten (2009) - full transcript

Seicho Matsumoto Centenary project

October 21st, 1943

Farewell ceremony for students drafted to war.

As we marched, our thoughts barely turned to the battlefield.

We simply wondered which upperclassmen, fighting desperately at the front

had been arranged for this send-off?

Yes, I did enjoy swimming.

That was the first time

that Kenichi talked about himself.

I liked hearing the applause underwater.

The far-off cheering of my friends put my mind at rest.



Aug-1957

In college, my brother made the national team.

I went to see him with our late parents.

There was talk of an Olympic trial.

Until he was injured, by machine-gun fire.

Right shoulder, was it?

I was lucky at that.

Of my comrades from those days, only 2 of us survived.

Kenichi worked for Toyo Advertising.

It was his 2nd year stationed up in Kanazawa city.

He got to spend 10 days a month back down in Tokyo.

Teiko is completely fluent in English.

She's the mainstay of Yamanouchi Trading's international dept.

Hardly the mainstay...



Your thesis was Charlotte Bronte? I recall us discussing it.

I adore "Jane Eyre".

You read it over and over.

Mother told me it was an essential read when she gave it to me.

Recently I discovered, she'd never read it.

Teiko, don't embarrass me, dear.

Mother worried about the 10 year age gap.

But his calm demeanor put me at ease.

What a beautiful sunset.

It certainly is.

I first saw Ginza with my late father.

We took in a movie then had ice cream.

It was delicious.

Kenichi didn't seem to want to talk about himself.

Maybe that's why I was drawn to him.

So much more neon these days.

Get a little closer...

Raise your right hand, perhaps...

Nice and relaxed, that's good.

Here we go.

1 week later

December 1st, 1957

Mr. Honda, a young colleague was to replace Kenichi at the Kanazawa branch.

Have a little more patience. Leave Kanazawa to me.

Then enjoy the newlywed life, make some babies...

Sorry, that was hasty...

Northern Japan

It was supposed to be his last trip

to hand things off to his successor.

Take care.

Sure.

I'll be back on the 8th. It's only a week.

That glimpse of Kenichi Uhara, my husband

was to be my last.

Zero Focus

End of the "Post-War" era

Stocks at an all-time high

Japan-USSR Joint Declaration

Japan's formal participation in the UN

Decision reached on anti-prostitution legislation

International talks to ban nuclear weapons

Good evening.

Now for the week's most requested song...

Kenichi returns

Kenichi didn't come back that night.

Kenichi Uhara

Yes, that's right.

He said he'd return on the 8th.

No telegram, either.

No word from the Kanazawa branch?

I see.

And so that day passed.

Dear Teiko, I hope you're well.

I'm sending some stuff ahead.

I'll sort it out when I get back. Please just leave it.

Sorry if it's in the way.

I'll be home as planned.

Thanks for the meal.

Do your homework, get ready for tomorrow.

Okay.

But it is strange.

Kenichi really said he'd be back on the 8th?

Yes. Last night his boss even paid me a visit.

Confirmed he'd left Kanazawa on the 7th.

Really...

His boss thought it odd, too.

What an idiot, making his young wife worry.

It'll be fine. He'll turn up as if nothing's wrong.

Right, he must have an engagement on the way.

He's been like this since we were kids.

Wandering off on his own.

All hell broke loose once when he didn't return from school.

Every detail from his past was new to me.

It just increased my unease.

Excuse me...

Kenichi didn't know what the fuss was about.

Excuse me...

I'm going to Kanazawa after all.

Thank you for riding with us. I'll now check your tickets.

It's a lovely area but Kanazawa's already cold.

Soon the thick clouds will dump their load of snow.

Snowy Kanazawa sounds so romantic. Take me with you.

Yeah.

Some other occasion...

You're so young.

Don't look at me like that.

I felt like I was being compared.

Your lips are so soft. Like marshmallows.

Good morning. The present time is 6:30am.

Our next stop is "Tomari" The exit is on the left.

Kanazawa

Hello there!

I'm Aoki, of the Kanazawa branch.

I'm Uhara's wife.

Did something happen?

Well, the thing is...

this morning, along the coast...

They found a body.

A man in his mid-30's in a brown suit.

These coastal cliffs form the Noto peninsula.

Sheer cliffs the whole way.

Unfortunately known as a great spot for suicide.

Get out of the way everyone.

At your service...

Come on in.

He was banged up against the cliffs.

Not really in a fit state to show anyone.

Here you are.

So, then?

Is that your husband?

That's a good thing.

We had a jumper the other day.

We could hardly pull his wife off of him.

It was a damn nuisance.

Thanks for coming, anyway.

Still, Uhara's put us on the spot.

The company doesn't know what to do.

Sir...

Excuse me.

I'd like to see my husband's accommodation.

A place called Tsubata, I think...

Funny you mention that...

Actually...

it seems he left those premises 18 months ago.

So where's he been living?

The landlord didn't know where he went to.

Neither does anyone in the office.

See? Fishy isn't it?

A thunderstorm in winter?

It's a snow-bringer.

Snow-bringer?

That's right.

When it comes, the next day it dumps snow.

I knew nothing about my husband.

Kenichi Uhara was a stranger to me.

Feelings of unease and fear

filled my quaking heart.

Kenichi...

Hello?

Where the hell is he?

I'm in Kyoto for business.

I'll be right there as soon as I'm done.

Take that to my room.

Right away.

Yes, of course.

Snowing, is it?

No, we've got good weather here.

How about going to see Company President Murota?

Careful, Honda...

Who is that?

Owner of Murota Firebricks Inc. Mr. Gisaku Murota.

A major client of your husband.

They were close, professionally and personally. Often dining together.

Honda, don't go with her.

It's very important

this remains a personal matter.

We daren't upset Murota with something trivial.

I understand.

Take care.

Remember what I said.

Sorry about that.

He's worried about negative fallout on the company.

Firebricks are a huge local industry.

Are you okay?

Yes.

Murota Inc. is one of the biggest.

Our salesforce struggled to make inroads there.

For some reason, Mr. Murota,

his wife too, soon took a shine to your husband.

His wife, too?

Yes. Her name is Sachiko.

Mr. Murota was remarried to her 3 years ago.

Kanazawa escaped the air-raids.

So despite national post-War turmoil,

it remains a tough place for newcomers to get ahead.

Yet Mr. Murota came from nowhere and built his company from scratch.

He's that kind of a guy, so...

So?

He's ruthless, perhaps... A self-made man.

Next stop, Shirogane-cho...

Let's cross.

Here it is.

Turn that knob to the left.

How's that?

The mayor died suddenly so there's to be an election.

Yasuko Kamijo

A lady candidate?

She was an activist pre-War. Much talked about.

Behind the scenes, Mrs. Murota is giving her support.

Where is your personnel dept.?

2nd floor, at the top of the stairs.

Excuse me...

I'm Honda, from Toyo Advertising, with Mrs. Uhara to see Mr. Murota.

Sorry. Your appointment at 1pm.

Yes?

Actually...

he has no time to get back here and asks you visit the factory.

If you cross the road, it's on the other side.

Thank you.

For an office worker, she had very rough hands.

Right.

Okay, I'll return to my office.

Anything wrong?

No.

I'm sorry about everything.

Head back there and to the right.

Thank you very much.

What terrible quality!

We're sorry.

Please excuse us.

Why must I repeat myself every damn time?

We're sorry but don't fire us.

Please have a little patience.

How dare you grovel before me with excuses?

There just wasn't enough time.

One last chance, Sir?

No more chances.

Japan is teeming with opportunity.

I can't have this nonsense, when each day's work defines the future.

One stupid error could result in a lifetime of regret.

My eldest is in school.

I might as well string myself up.

Now you attempt begging?

If you've time for suicide, use it to find another job!

My dear, when a man vanishes like that

it's usually a woman.

Talking in general, you understand.

Don't worry...looking at you, I'd say he'll return.

Dear...

You forgot to call the Chamber of Commerce, right?

When Ms. Kamijo went they weren't expecting her.

Yasuko Kamijo

Yasuko Kamijo

And this is?

The wife of Mr. Uhara of Toyo Advertising.

Hoping for some advice.

I'm Teiko.

Nice to meet you.

But today's no good. I'm due at the campaign office.

Tomorrow. You know our office?

Yes, I do.

Tomorrow, then.

Don't forget that call.

Considering Uhara was newly-wed and promoted

he was kind of gloomy.

But my wife knows his private life better than me.

She took an interest in him.

Welcome back.

My brother-in-law?

What on earth's this?

A Female Mayor? Townsfolk Largely Negative

10 days to go, let's roll up our sleeves.

It's exactly as expected.

Listen to me.

It was obvious the media would resort to slander.

They're under our opponent's thumb.

Yasuko, you mustn't be seen to waver.

I understand.

You're Japan's first female mayor.

The birth pains are bound to be harsh.

But people throughout Japan are on our side.

Countless numbers of them wish us well.

We'll run that bald idiot out of town.

Everyone alright?

That article was our opponent's work. But who threw that rock?

An anonymous threat.

Many people don't want women's voices in politics.

Even some women among them.

But the very fact we've got them riled up

is proof that we're on the right track.

What's wrong?

It's nothing.

Let's go inside.

I think it's a good thing and a rare opportunity.

An article about our campaign?

Yes, a Tokyo report to syndicate nationwide.

Maybe we should appear together?

No way. I stay in the background. You take the interview.

Okay, I'll follow your advice.

I remember, we had a farewell dinner here for Mr. Uhara.

Unusually, he got drunk and sang us a song.

When was this?

At the weekend, around the 6th?

Since the following day, he's been missing a week.

I heard my husband was much in your debt.

My husband often exaggerates.

The debt is ours. My husband is especially fond of him.

He was terribly disappointed at his transfer.

He often told me,

"that guy has seen men's death with his own eyes."

"A man like that, you can trust."

Naughty Mr. Uhara leaving his pretty wife hanging. Where can he be?

Toru...

Sorry if he scared you.

Drinking already? Keep it under control.

Mrs. Teiko Uhara, from Tokyo.

My brother, Toru.

He left art school 2 years ago. He's been in several competitions.

He's begun to sell in some Tokyo galleries.

Hey, Sis'...

That's right...it was "Only You".

The song your husband sang.

There's one thing that worries me.

Before joining that company, Kenichi was a policeman.

It's true, apparently.

A policeman? I had no idea.

I had it checked out. He was stationed in Tachikawa.

Tachikawa?

Wonder why he never mentioned it?

Teiko, in my opinion,

there's no point in you hanging on up there.

With no sign of Kenichi, the days churned on.

All around, the sights we had planned to visit together.

My romantic, girlish vision of the North,

slowly fading from my mind.

Excuse me.

Please come in.

Hello there. I made it here at last.

Today?

That's right.

I'm sorry for the bother.

Not at all.

My business in Kyoto finished earlier than I'd thought.

Kyoto folk like to tie things up quickly.

Any clue about Kenichi?

Nothing yet...

His company filed a missing person report.

Really? That was hasty.

Sotaro, it's just hearsay but...

did Kenichi work for the police?

Didn't you know?

No.

Soon after demobilization.

Just for a while, maybe not even a year.

Amid the post-War chaos, our police had a hard time.

I guess he put it behind him. Why do you ask?

No reason.

Teiko, please cheer up. He'll be around somewhere.

Gazing out at sea, that innocent look on his face.

No need to worry. I'll track him down, I promise.

Tsurugi

Get me a room for a meeting.

Right away, sir.

Please show him the way.

A lethal dose of Potassium Cyanide

was in the whisky.

Why plan a meeting in Tsurugi, an hour from Kanazawa?

The deceased arrived here yesterday in search of

Kenichi Uhara, in Kanazawa,

who is his brother and also your husband, right?

Yes.

I see...

We called the office number in his notebook.

Citing a family emergency, 3 days ago,

he took time off.

Kyoto was just a ruse.

His hotel said he'd been here since Saturday morning.

What did he do in Kanazawa in the intervening day?

Yes...one moment.

Here's your sister-in-law.

Please speak to her.

It's Teiko.

Teiko, it's a mistake, right?

All this crazy talk. It can't be him, right?

My dear...

Don't say you believe it, too?

I saw the body.

It was him.

What the hell do you mean?

But he had a business trip...

It makes no sense...

I'm afraid it's true.

Teiko?

I'm requesting security for Ms. Kamijo after that incident...

I just heard a Mr. Uhara died at an inn in Tsurugi.

It's not your husband, right?

It was his brother.

I was surprised to hear that unusual name.

So that woman who fled was the killer?

The maid said she was gaudily-dressed for Kanazawa.

An American-style red coat

with sunglasses and a headscarf.

Like a Pan-Pan girl.

A what?

Girls of the night, after US troops. You don't know them?

There's no US base near here.

Teiko, are you alright?

I'm sorry.

The more time passes, the more uneasy I get.

Don't worry. Get some fresh air.

Do you think it's possible

that Sotaro thought he was meeting my husband?

The woman lured him there with Kenichi's presence.

Meaning...

Kenichi's already dead...

You mustn't think like that.

Exactly. We don't know the incidents are connected.

I'm just lost without him.

I thought we shared a real connection.

But I knew nothing about him.

Maybe, thanks to this,

we'll get a chance to be a real couple.

But on the other hand,

what if it all ends with him never coming back?

I couldn't bear not-knowing.

I just want to know, one way or another.

I can't help that feeling.

I'm a terrible person.

Not at all. It's a natural reaction.

Teiko.

May I say one thing?

If marriage is really what you're after,

don't let go of the dream too easily.

What a fun evening.

Invite us again.

You promise?

Sorry I'm late, dear.

Welcome home.

Sorry for the intrusion.

Thanks for having us.

Is playing at politics, fun?

Say hi to Baldy.

Don't call him that.

Don't you think you've drunk enough?

Did you hear Uhara's brother was killed in Tsurugi?

Aoki called to tell me.

You knew?

I heard from the Chief of Police.

Goddamn it...

Was there really nothing between you?

What on earth are you saying? Stop it, please.

Please stop it.

Thank you for another night of "Dancing Latin".

Until next week, good night.

What kind of woman are you?

For Ueno, Tokyo

I'll be back as soon as the funeral's dealt with.

I understand.

I felt like I'd forgotten something important.

You know...

Yes?

I shouldn't just leave.

Mr. Honda...

Mr. Honda!

What's wrong?

Something's bothering me.

Remember the receptionist with the rough hands?

Her English sounded like Pan-Pan girl slang.

Rough and ready.

You speak English, right...

My husband was once a cop near the US Tachikawa base.

He was? In Tachikawa?

Okay, I'll find out more about her.

Asagaya, Tokyo

The girl's name is Hisako Tanuma.

Seems she's an acquaintance of Mr. Murota himself.

Did you get to meet her?

She's been off work for 3 days.

Exactly from the date of the murder?

Yes.

Also, her husband died recently.

They say he threw himself off the Noto cliffs.

Suicide?

Apparently Mr. Murota hired Hisako out of charity.

But nobody knows what linked him to the husband.

According to some rumors,

and I wouldn't say it in front of Mrs. Murota

there's talk they were lovers.

Really?

It's just rumor, of course.

Sachiko herself was a typist in a client's office in Tokyo.

Murota gave her a job in Kanazawa before his first wife died.

Anyway, I'll go meet her and sort it all out.

Thank you for your help.

It's rather fun playing an investigative reporter.

Okay, then.

Thank you, guys.

There's talk of Kanazawa having a female mayor.

Making news even here, huh.

Would've been unimaginable in the old days.

I'll make some tea.

Will Kanazawa produce Japan's 1st Female Mayor?

Miss Tanuma?

Miss Tanuma?

What are you doing?

Hey?

It's true that there's never been a female mayor.

But just because of that,

don't assume women can't contribute to politics.

Hurry, the train's at 6pm.

While you're up there, give us a strip show.

Here he is.

Ms. Tanuma's a suspect. Do you have any comment?

It's rumored you were lovers.

The culprit waited quietly in the dark,

then thrust once with the knife.

The suspect is Hisako Tanuma. We're pretty sure of that.

A witness came forward, too.

A school kid up late, saw her.

The bus stop's visible from his house.

He saw a woman in a red coat and scarf in the street light.

Might her family be sheltering her?

She has no relatives.

Husband died recently...

a Masusaburo Sone, aged 36.

Not her real husband, just a common-law thing.

A suicide, right?

How did you know?

Mr. Honda told me on the phone.

He jumped from the cliffs

and his body was found on the 8th.

The 8th?

I'll be back on the 8th. It's only a week.

Who knows where she came from. She just arrived out of the blue.

Her parents died of TB.

Only brother killed in the War.

She was all on her own.

It was a shock, though.

Dressed like that, we always gossiped about her.

Wondering what she'd got up to in Tokyo.

That guy wasn't her real husband.

Always going up and back between here and Tokyo.

He never did say much.

She really cared for him.

My husband, Kenichi Uhara

lived here with Hisako Tanuma for 18 months,

under the name Masusaburo Sone.

I can't imagine where my husband might have died.

So many sharp rocks thrusting up from the sea.

To me, they simply looked like gravestones.

You're saying Sone, a.k.a. Uhara tried to dump Hisako

which she resented enough to push him off a cliff?

Right. The others, as well.

She did my brother-in-law and Mr. Honda.

What about the suicide note?

Suicide note?

We found it at her house the other day.

Dear Hisako.

To Hisako Tanuma.

Dear Hisako, there is so much on my mind.

Life has become unbearable.

I'll spare you the details.

Storing those troubles within my heart

I've chosen to vanish for all time.

Thank you for everything. Masusaburo.

How does the writing compare to your husband's?

We asked Mr. Aoki at the office

to compare the note with his company correspondence.

The handwriting matches.

But I can't believe he would commit suicide.

Even now, it makes no sense to me.

There was a note for Hisako.

Why on earth wasn't there one for me?

His wife who once resolved to spend her life with him.

Why did he treat me like that?

Did he really think so little of me?

Not only strange, it's just unforgiveable.

Someone sent us a gift.

Not stones today but rice-balls.

Girls, we're on the last lap.

Teiko.

You've done everything you could.

You're tired, unable to think clearly.

Leave it up to the police now, and go relax in Tokyo.

This is our farewell.

Good bye.

Tachikawa

Detention wagon imminent. Jeep patrol requested.

Traffic Control

I work in Traffic Control now,

but back then, Uhara and I were in the Public Morals section.

Public Morals?

What kind of work was that?

When Uhara was here, Japan was still occupied by the US.

You can't imagine the number of American soldiers everywhere.

May-1950

Wherever there were soldiers

hordes of Pan-Pan girls came after their dollars.

The Yanks hated the decline in morals so we went Pan-Pan hunting.

But the Japanese police had to do the dirty work.

And that meant us.

They're at it again. What a nuisance.

I'm clean, no diseases.

Don't make a fuss.

Pay if you want to touch me.

She's getting away.

Leave me alone! Americans puppets.

Okay, get back in the truck.

In those days, the MP's held absolute power.

We were just tools in their hands.

Uhara had a hard time with that.

We lost the War, so I guess it was our tough luck.

Excuse me...

The woman in this photo...

Her again?

You know her?

No, I don't remember her,

but a man was here with that picture the other day.

Who was it?

Just a moment...

He seemed pretty troubled by the whole thing.

Gisaku Murota

Is that right...

As I told the gentleman the other day,

the house they all hung out in still stands in Nakagami.

It's called Okuma House.

She's called Hisako Tanuma.

The woman in this photo. Do you know her?

That again?

You all just want to dredge up poor Emi's past,

and make a mockery of it, eh?

Emi?

In that line of work nobody used their real name.

Emi was a shy little thing

but her charm made her a hit with the G.I.'s.

The kids that were here,

they weren't the kind of girls you all imagined.

Want to take a look?

I showed it to the guy the other day.

Look...

We had a Christmas party. That's me.

It was lots of fun.

All the other photos were chucked out.

Of course they wanted the past behind them.

But this one I couldn't get rid of.

They all look so happy.

Sachiko?

So you know Marie, do you?

She was smart, even made it to women's college.

Lost both parents in the air-raids. Quit college,

working to pay for her brother's TB treatment.

She was going steady with a ranking officer.

Roughly at the same time,

they both went clean, and got away from here.

Marie?

I was so delighted

you remembered me from such a tiny article.

Becoming a widow isn't an auspicious start but...

When I figured it was you, of course I came to help.

But...

I mustn't be any further burden on you.

You've got the big house and the social status to match.

The police said they'd catch the killer for me.

No way.

If they discover your past they won't lift a finger.

They'll just pin the crime on you.

That's why I'm having you hide.

When it comes to girls like you and I,

people can't wait to abandon us.

Kanazawa is locked down

but you should make it to Tokyo via Takaoka.

Kenichi, Sachiko and Hisako.

This tragedy began when they ran into one another again in Kanazawa.

Kenichi was posted there, 2 years ago.

6 months later, by coincidence he met Hisako again.

They began to live together.

Even after living together,

Masusaburo didn't talk much.

Never mentioned his work, either.

But he was kind to me.

That much was enough.

Hisako.

Masusaburo!

Welcome home. You're early.

I caught an earlier bus.

A souvenir for you.

Open it when we get home.

Thank you.

But I knew such happiness wouldn't last long.

That's the way my life is.

I love you.

To think that man was Kenichi Uhara

is still beyond comprehension.

Even when his supposed brother turned up...

My husband was Masusaburo Sone.

He died very recently.

He died?

Suicide.

Suicide?

There's no way Kenichi would do that.

He'd probably heard about Hisako from Kenichi.

That's why he wasn't worried when Kenichi went missing.

When I heard he was married in Tokyo,

how on earth could I believe it?

I thought there'd be another explanation.

Marie?

Are you alright, Marie?

I'm sorry. The car's acting up.

Some kind of engine trouble.

Emi, you're always such a soft touch.

You were deceived all along.

He really was Kenichi Uhara.

He just wanted to hop over to a younger woman.

What his brother said was true. The ceremony was last month.

You're lying.

You really think so?

He was always talking about being with that younger woman.

Wishing for a new start in Tokyo.

He was an awful person.

Something's up.

I'll soon fix it.

Marie...

Remember when we first met him?

Emi.

What are you crying for?

Remembering back...

What does it say?

I can't read. Never went to school.

"This road I'm on"

"I traveled once before"

"I know it now"

I know that one.

"That hill yonder"

"I saw it once before"

"I know it now"

"See the white clock tower?"

"This road I'm on"

"I traveled once before"

"I know it now"

"I rode the horse cart with mother"

Marie, you went to college, too?

School's important but there's more to life.

You can learn to read anytime.

Why don't I teach you, from tomorrow?

- Are you sure? - Of course.

I'll be pretty strict though.

One day, every person

will go to school, no matter who they are.

An era will come when girls won't have to do what we do.

I wonder?

Definitely.

This way.

Through the cul-de-sac, there's a back way.

Let's go.

When I saw him in Kanazawa station,

I knew that God exists.

Marie...

You...

You said he'd spoken to you.

About wanting to be reborn in Tokyo.

Where on earth did you see him again?

In the year since you turned up at Murota Inc.

I've known this day would come.

Yet until today, you didn't mention our Tachikawa days.

They aren't pleasant reminiscences for either of us.

Don't vacillate, get to the point.

How much do you want to keep silent about Tachikawa?

I'm not interested in money or stuff like that.

You don't mean, my body?

No, not that at all.

If possible, there's a girl I'd like you to employ.

Although Sachiko and Hisako knew each other,

he hid the fact that he'd met them both.

He was afraid of them talking to one another.

My wife's name is Teiko.

I've never met a woman like her in my entire life.

I never felt like getting married.

Remembering my fallen buddies, it wasn't right.

With that woman I'm living with,

I used the name of a comrade, killed in battle.

A fake name?

So you and I are in the same boat.

I want to be reborn.

To be reborn and join the new era.

With Teiko, maybe I can do that.

Yet you pity the other woman...

want atonement by finding her work...

It's not that easy. She may prefer death.

Your kind always cause women pain.

You're the one who should die.

Right. Men like you, deserve to die once...

Masusaburo Sone must be eliminated.

You must fake his suicide.

That's how they came to be standing at the cliff.

Final testament

So this is goodbye to Masusaburo Sone?

These are the details of the woman I want you to help.

Okay, I'll have my husband find a place for her.

You're right, a body would never be recovered here.

Just one push and nobody would doubt it was suicide.

This man knows about my past as a Pan-Pan.

All I need...

is to be rid of him.

Using the past,

stuff like that...

He wasn't the kind of person to do that to you.

I never imagined his lover was you.

If it wasn't, I'd never have got in touch.

Next...

my turn, huh?

"It's cold."

"Best wear your coat."

Feigning concern,

yet planning to frame me.

I don't care. I'm ready to die.

The man named Masusaburo never existed.

The one named Kenichi,

I never actually knew.

I don't believe anything any more.

Emi...

Keep smiling, Marie.

Have a good life.

Live my portion for me.

We'll meet again.

Some other day.

Emi!

Maternity Guide

During my brother-in-law's visit he uncovered a great deal.

Including the relationship between Hisako and Sachiko.

They live near here. They'll arrive shortly.

I was right to have had you talk to her.

She'd never have opened up to a stranger like me.

I took the liberty of asking around at your company.

I was surprised to find your influence got her the job.

This is just my pet theory,

but that Tanuma woman,

might have been a Pan-Pan for American troops.

Surely you're not acquaintances back from those days?

Sorry, that's going too far.

If you'd like,

how about a glass of whisky?

Next to contact her was Mr. Honda...

Only to be lured to Hisako's house.

Sachiko Murota.

Why did it happen? Emi's dead...

Emi's dead...

Sister...

Why did Emi die?

Get out of here.

Go away.

Sachiko, it's okay.

Sachiko...

I didn't do it.

I didn't kill her.

I really didn't kill her. I didn't.

Get out.

I didn't kill her. I didn't kill anyone.

I didn't.

Emi was my only friend.

I'd never kill her.

Alright, you didn't kill anyone.

I didn't.

I didn't do it. Didn't kill anyone.

- Stay still. - I didn't do it.

Don't say anything.

They all killed themselves. It was all coincidence.

No! It wasn't me.

Sachiko, it was all fate.

It wasn't me.

It was all fate.

It wasn't me.

Yasuko Kamijo Campaign Announcement

Yasuko Kamijo Campaign Announcement

Please be patient.

This is getting pretty tense.

To avoid trouble they moved the announcement here.

I'm betting drinks that she loses.

I think she'll win. Kanazawa's come a long way.

It can pull off a Japan scoop.

In local news, at 6am today the female corpse,

discovered along the coast...

was apparently that of the suspect, Hisako Tanuma.

It's now at the Kanazawa precinct.

Police say it looks like a suicide.

Girls, not much time.

"Washing away injustice"

"Transforming our country's wealth built on the workers' sweat"

"into a bright world of happiness."

"Against hatred and strife"

"and vulgarity we prevail"

"With love and grace"

"And the power of woman"

You know everything, right?

We won. We won!

Congratulations Ma'am!

Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!

War forces children into adulthood.

If things were normal,

my sister would've enjoyed a longer childhood.

Toru...

From today, I'll be mother.

And father, too.

Understand?

She was always smiling.

Never once letting her worries surface in front of me.

But inside the damage built up. Cracks began to appear.

It was only natural that she'd come to pieces.

I don't suppose...

you could ever forgive my sister, huh?

She's already forgotten what she's done.

Detective!

We've got a confession.

Get out of our way.

This way.

You'll come quietly?

Ms. Sachiko...

Your modesty kept you in the background.

And that is admirable.

But today of all days, you should get the credit.

Please, a few words from you.

In complicity with your lover, Hisako Tanuma, eh?

You killed her husband when he got in your way.

When his brother found out, you killed him, too.

Then his colleague, Mr. Honda.

Our time has finally come.

Stop that.

Goodbye to the era of darkness.

Let's face a new age,

we've made one huge stride.

Once, we lost everything.

Our homes.

Our history.

All love and joy.

They were all long-gone.

During those times, what sustained us and gave us courage,

was the dream each one of us had of the coming era.

That future is just around the corner.

Close by.

In a short while, those dreams,

dreams of a future we nurtured during the dark times,

will soon be within reach.

Marie!

Marie...

Ms. Sachiko!

Let's get her out of here.

It's me. Won't you open up?

Ms. Sachiko, open the door.

You robbed me of my dreams.

I know that.

Even if I apologize, I won't be forgiven.

One thing I must convey to you.

Mr. Uhara told me this.

With you he felt he could be reborn.

That he could experience the new era.

There's no doubt about it.

He loved you more than anyone.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait!

One week later

A foreign tanker

picked up the body of Sachiko Murota

Never to forget the lives of these 2 women

my husband treasured these photos.

Now they take the place of the sins that were committed.

Maybe he'd planned to bear them his entire life.

The new era of which my husband dreamed...

How will it turn out?

Teiko...

Teiko, I've made some tea.

I bought some rice-buns, too.

How lovely.

Ryoko Hirosue

Miki Nakatani

Tae Kimura

Tetta Sugimoto Hiromi Sakimoto Toru Nomaguchi

Fukumi Kuroda Hirotaro Honda

Hidetoshi Nishijima

Takeshi Kaga

［Original Story］＠ Seicho Matsumoto

［Screenplay］＠ Isshin Inudo Kenji Nakazono

［Directed by］＠ Isshin Inudo

［English subtitles by］＠ Kennedy Taylor and Aya Futami