Willful Murder

Willful Murder

132 mins | Drama | Nov. 7, 1981

The president of the Japanese National Railways is found dead during a period in which train service is plagued by numerous layoffs, strikes and shutdowns. The government says that the president was murdered; the police claim it was a suicide. A quizzical reporter follows the case for years, but the basic question remains unanswered: was the victim killed by members of the burgeoning Communist movement in Japan, or was the death stage-managed by the authorities in hopes of discrediting the Communists?

Willful Murder

132 mins | Drama | Nov. 7, 1981

Willful Murder
The president of the Japanese National Railways is found dead during a period in which train service is plagued by numerous layoffs, strikes and shutdowns. The government says that the president was murdered; the police claim it was a suicide. A quizzical reporter follows the case for years, but the basic question remains unanswered: was the victim killed by members of the burgeoning Communist movement in Japan, or was the death stage-managed by the authorities in hopes of discrediting the Communists?
Producers Haiyuza Eiga Hoso Company
Original title 日本の熱い日々 謀殺・下山事件
Directors Kei Kumai
Writers Kimio Yada, Ryûzô Kikushima

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai

as Yashiro

Ichirô Nakatani

as Toyama

Koji Yakusho

as Journalist

Mikijirō Hira

as Okuno

Yoshio Inaba

as Horii

Yûsuke Takita

as Prosecutor Kawase

Yasukiyo Umeno

as Prosecutor Yamaoka

Kappei Matsumoto

as Professor Hatano

Yôsuke Kondô

as Professor Akita

Takashi Ebata

as Driver

Takao Ito

as Horiuchi

Kaneko Iwasaki

as Yoshiko Shimoyama

Eitarō Ozawa

as Itoga

Daisuke Ryû

as Maruyama

Junnosuke Hiramitsu

as Narrator (voice)