Review of The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987) by Walter M — 25 Jul 2008

[font=Century Gothic]"The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On" is a fascinating verite documentary about Kenzo Okuzaki, veteran of the disastrous Japanese occupation of New Guinea during World War II which resulted in mass starvation. To right the wrongs he feels were inflicted on his fellow soldiers, he travels all over Japan on a mission to console their souls while confronting those he feels responsible, especially Emperor Hirohito.(Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the emperor in Japan just a figurehead?) He plans to eventually return to New Guinea. [/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]Whereas Okuzaki's heart may be in the right place(especially the part about not forgetting the war, so there will be no wars in the future), he also believes that the ends justify the means which is how wars get started in the first place. He is himself quite violent, having served 13+ years in prison for the separate charges of having killed a real estate broker(He says that he did not mean to kill him and this seems unrelated to his crusade. In fact, this imprisonment may have led him to contemplate his current mission.), using a slingshot to attack the emperor and my personal favorite, distributing pornographic images of the emperor. He also physically attacks two of his interviewees. Confrontation is all well and good but without any give and take, he is not going to get anywhere.[/font].