Review | Mishima: The Last Debate movie review – documentary sheds new light on Yukio Mishima, Japanese literary giant turned nationalist firebrand
- One of post-war Japan’s most controversial figures, Yukio Mishima railed against the country’s adoption of Western democratic values in the 1960s
- Keisuke Toyoshima’s film about a 1969 Tokyo University debate between Mishima and leftist students is a compelling time capsule of a volatile moment in history
3.5/5 stars
One of post-war Japan’s most controversial figures, Yukio Mishima was an author, poet, playwright and actor who became an increasingly vocal far-right nationalist in the 1960s.
Disheartened by Japan’s adoption of Western democratic values in the aftermath of the second world war, which he felt threatened his nation’s cultural identity, Mishima formed his own militia, the Tatenokai or “Shield Society”.
Keisuke Toyoshima’s documentary Mishima: The Last Debate presents newly restored footage from a pivotal meeting that took place on May 13, 1969, between Mishima and a thousand left-leaning zenkyoto student activists, who had taken control of numerous university campuses across the country. A year and a half later, Mishima committed ritual suicide after a failed attempt to inspire a military coup.
Interspersed with a number of newly recorded interviews with zenkyoto activists and tatenokai members who were present at the debate, Toyoshima’s film works best as a compelling time capsule of a volatile moment in Japanese history.
