"Kagawa 1st Ward" Director Arata Oshima depicts the true picture of Japanese democracy in an entertaining masterpiece that surpasses his previous work [Director's Interview Vol.171]

What exactly are voters?

Q: I get the impression that Mr. Ogawa is not as prominent in this work as he was in the previous work. As the title suggests, ``Kagawa 1st Ward'', did you decide to go in that direction with the intention of depicting the entire electoral district?

Oshima: That's right. What exactly are voters? I had a strong desire to do so, and I wanted to draw it all together. On the surface, the main character is Mr. Ogawa, and his opponents, Mr. Hirai and Mr. Machikawa, but I wanted to properly incorporate the consciousness of voters into the work.

What shocked me was when I interviewed a person on Shodoshima who always voted for Mr. Hirai of the Liberal Democratic Party, although the cameras weren't rolling. When I asked Mr. Ogawa why he couldn't enter, he said, "Because I wasn't asked to do it" (lol). "Because I wasn't asked for it. What is that?" What you meant was that. So what does it mean to be asked to do something? It means to be asked to do something by a local town councilor or someone who is the face of the town or village.

When I heard that, I thought, ``I see, that's what it feels like.'' I don't have to just say, "I see," and be convinced (lol). Knowing this was part of the purpose of making the film.

“Kagawa 1st Ward” © 2021 NETZGEN

Q: There were people who wanted to support Ogawa-san in the movie, but decided to support Hirai-san out of obligation. ``Then I should just vote for Mr. Ogawa,'' I thought. I don't even know who I voted for.

Oshima: I don't know.

Q: I thought it was very strange and very Japanese.

Oshima: It's very Japanese, isn't it? But there are also people who are like hidden Christians. Even if they support Hirai on the surface, there are people who agree with Ogawa.

What's also interesting is that when I talk to supporters, many of them don't care about Mr. Hirai, but that they want to join the Liberal Democratic Party. On the other hand, some people say, ``I like Mr. Ogawa, but I don't like the Constitutional Democratic Party.'' It was interesting to see the contrast between whether it's more about the party than the person or whether it's more about the party than the people.

Q: There was a scene where people who went to early voting reported that they had voted for Mr. Hirai inside a certain building. It was very shocking.

Oshima: I was shocked too. When I first learned about this, I thought, ``Is this really democracy?'' But it's actually happening. A huge number of people enter the building. I don't think those people have any malicious intent or any passion towards Mr. Hirai. Isn't that one vote and the votes of those who are praying for Mr. Ogawa the same? I really thought, "What is this?"

But I'm sure that such elections are still being held throughout Japan, even if they are not so blatant.

Q: Isn't it illegal to encourage people to vote for a specific candidate and then confirm that vote?

Oshima: I checked with lawyers and journalists, and they said that unless there is evidence that someone is forcing someone to do something even though they really don't want to do it, or there is a document that orders them to do so, it will probably not be possible to charge them with a crime.

Coverage of the election campaign was even interrupted by filming