Japanese sports and entertainment magazine "Tokyo Sports" reported on September 2 that the Japanese film industry is preparing to adapt the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 into a movie. Due to the significant impact of this event, adapting it into a film was once considered a taboo. However, the project is now being carried out under strict confidentiality measures. It is also reported that the man who shot Abe, Takashi Yamashita (45 years old), will be portrayed by a popular actor.
A well-known Japanese film director believes that the assassination of Abe should be left for future generations to decide upon, and thus he has initiated this project. This director is a creator who has directed several popular films.
A director from a production company said, "If it's the director who is in charge, well-known actors will naturally gather together. This film about a shooting incident is expected to start filming as early as this autumn. The film is said to follow the trajectory of the news reports, focusing on the people involved in the event before and after the incident. It will depict the entire process from his arrest, detention, to his trial in court. It's not expected to be a film with strong political overtones."
The most talked about is the actor lineup.
According to information from Tokyo Sports, the popular actor Kaneda Jōhei (33 years old) will play the role of Yamashita Tetsuya.
A person in the film industry said, “Recently, Kaneda has been keeping his hair long. It is said that this is for this project. He doesn’t cut his hair because he wants to replicate the appearance of the actor on the mountain after the incident—his hair remained untrimmed and long.”
Kaneda Jōkihi in May this year
In January this year, Shan Shang was sentenced to life imprisonment. Shan Shang’s side disagreed with the judgment and has filed an appeal. It is said that there will also be characters representing media professionals who report on this event in the movie.
A person related to a entertainment agency said, 'It is said that the film will be told from the perspective of news reporting. However, considering the special nature of the case, it is foreseeable that the film will cause controversy after its release. It is said that the production team also fully realized this and still decided to cast Kaneda in the role of Yamashita. Kaneda himself should also have a strong determination to face this project.'
The incident occurred on July 8, 2022, during the period of Senate elections in Japan.
On the mountain, Abe, who was delivering a rally speech in Nara City, was shot with a homemade firearm. Abe fell to the ground on the spot, and later was transported to a hospital by a medical helicopter. However, he died that day.
Shinzo Abe served as Prime Minister of Japan for 3188 days, the longest term in Japanese history. The news of Shinzo Abe's passing as former Prime Minister not only shook domestic Japan but also became the main headline news of media outlets around the world.
After the shooting, there was no resistance on the mountain, and the people were immediately subdued by the Nara County police.
As the investigation progresses, the connection between the motive for the crime on the mountain and its mother's involvement with the World Peace Unity Family Federation (formerly the Unified Church) has received significant attention. Subsequently, more details about the organization were revealed, leading to it becoming a major issue in Japanese society.
Shimura was prosecuted for crimes such as homicide. After the Nara District Court sentenced him to life imprisonment, Shimura’s side disagreed and filed an appeal with the Osaka High Court in February this year. In June of this year, the order to dissolve the religious group was finally determined by the Supreme Court.
The aforementioned film industry insider said: ‘Due to the sensational nature of this shooting incident, there was concern among the film industry about whether to adapt it into a film or television series.’
In the year 2022 when the shooting incident took place, there was a film titled "REVOLUTION＋1" that was based on a defendant from the mountain region. However, this film was mainly shown in small art theaters and did not make it to the national chain of theaters.
In the Japanese domestic film market, in November last year, the movie 'National Treasure', starring actor Ryō Yoshizawa and directed by Sōji Lee, set a record for the highest box office earnings in Japanese feature films.
In the industry, many people believe that the box office revenue from the movie based on the Abe shooting incident might even approach that of ‘National Treasure’.
The person from the aforementioned entertainment agency said, “In fact, there is another company involved in this film project that has a close relationship with ‘National Treasure’. This also shows that the industry has high expectations for this work.”
"Tokyo Sports" inquired about whether Gu Wenghui received an invitation to play the role of defendant on Mount Yama. The studio where he belongs was asked for a response, but no reply was received before the deadline.
