The Explosion

The Explosion


東京湾炎上
Tōkyōwan Enjō
Tokyo Bay Fire
Director Katsumune Ishida
Special Effects Director Teruyoshi Nakano
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Osamu Tanaka
Original Story Koji Tanaka
Screenplay Yasuko Ono
Toshio Masuda
Photography Rokuro Nishigaki
Art Yoshiro Muraki
Sound Shin Watarai
Lighting Toshio Takashima
Music Hajime Kaburagi
Editor Nobuo Ogawa
Special Effects Art Yasuyuki Inoue
Special Effects Assistant Director Koichi Kawakita
Production Companies Toho
Release Date July 12, 1975
Runtime 100 minutes

東京湾炎上
Tōkyōwan Enjō
Tokyo Bay Fire
Director Katsumune Ishida
Special Effects Director Teruyoshi Nakano
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Osamu Tanaka
Original Story Koji Tanaka
Screenplay Yasuko Ono
Toshio Masuda
Photography Rokuro Nishigaki
Art Yoshiro Muraki
Sound Shin Watarai
Lighting Toshio Takashima
Music Hajime Kaburagi
Editor Nobuo Ogawa
Special Effects Art Yasuyuki Inoue
Special Effects Assistant Director Koichi Kawakita
Production Companies Toho
Release Date July 12, 1975
Runtime 100 minutes

The oil liner Arabian Light is hijacked by pirates and steered toward Tokyo Bay. The pirates plant time bombs in the hull and give their demands to the Japanese government. In order to upset Japan’s stake in the oil market, they demand that Japan’s oil reserves at Kiyama be demolished on national television. If they refuse, they will destroy the Arabian Light in Tokyo Bay, which will destroy the refineries in that area, smothering the populace in toxic fumes. If they destroy Kiyama, they will dump many tens of times the Arabian Light’s oil capacity into the ocean, which would cause an environmental disaster.

Simba, the lead terrorist, explains that his men hail from an African country that had been colonized by Western powers and stripped bare of resources. When the Africans won their independence, they had no means to survive among the first world countries. Their plan to deprive Japan of its oil reserves is just the first step in their plan to level the playing field and give nations like theirs a chance at survival. Munakata, the ship’s captain, while sympathetic, abhors their violent methods, and vows to stop them for the sake of his men and his country.

A TV crew stages a fake news flash, with a miniature set to mimic the Kiyama plant. The broadcast is aired live in an attempt to fool the terrorists. A freak rain storm ruins one of the composite shots, and the terrorists see through the ruse. The crew takes advantage of the confusion to attack and slay the terrorists. Tachijiro, one of the sailors, retrieves notes from Simba’s corpse detailing the placement of the bombs. The crew races to locate and remove them before time expires. Tachijiro descends into one of the oil tanks and retrieves the last bomb just minutes before detonation. The Arabian Light barely escapes destruction, and the crew disembarks to recuperate from their ordeal.

Top Billed Cast

Tetsuro Tamba
Captain Munekata
Hiroshi Fujioka
Tatejiro
Jo Shishido
Chief Engineer Kosai
Yutaka Mizutani
Munku
Midori Kanazawa
Michiko
Ryohei Uchida
Boatswain Nishizawa
Fumio Watanabe
Tatsuya Ishido
Mizuho Suzuki
Countermeasure HQ Officer Katsuragi
Kei Sato
Director Fukami
Soichiro Kitamura
Chief Officer Ehara
Sumio Tomikawa
Engineer Kataoka
Shiro Kuno
Igarashi
Dai Kanai
Doctor Hatsuyama
Tappei Shimokawa
Chef Terada
Kazuo Kato
PR Officer
Akio Satake
Susumu Wakabayashi
Masanori Irie
Minister of Defense
Katsuhiko Sasaki
Helicopter Pilot
Kenji Sahara
Kumamoto Shinpo Reporter
Sakae Umezu
Cameraman
Koji Kawamura
Minister of Transport Segi
Kazuya Aoyama
Kusashita
Hideaki Kohara
Engineer Ohara
Tatsuhito Go
Pilot Tamura
Masaru Kamiyama
Minister of Home Affairs Muramatsu
Toshimitsu Kudo
Countermeasure HQ Officer Nakazono
Ayao Wada
TV Announcer
Shinji Nakae
Special Program Announcer
Shosei Muto
TV Station Engineer
Takeshi Watabe
Kagoshima Policeman
Kentaro Kaji
Reporter
Saburo Kadowaki
Misuga HQ Radio Operator
Shigeo Kato
Misuga HQ Staff
Yoshio Katsube
TV Location Staff
Ken Sanders
Kifar
Kei Amoa
Simba
Willy Dorsey
Zamba

Rest of Cast Listed Alphabetically

Teppei Takasugi
Japan Coast Guard Secretary Arishima
Osman Yusef
Reporter
Top Billed Cast

Captain Munekata
Tetsuro Tamba

Tatejiro
Hiroshi Fujioka

Chief Engineer Kosai
Jo Shishido

Munku
Yutaka Mizutani

Michiko
Midori Kanazawa

Boatswain Nishizawa
Ryohei Uchida

Tatsuya Ishido
Fumio Watanabe

Countermeasure HQ Officer Katsuragi
Mizuho Suzuki

Director Fukami
Kei Sato

Chief Officer Ehara
Soichiro Kitamura

Engineer Kataoka
Sumio Tomikawa

Igarashi
Shiro Kuno

Doctor Hatsuyama
Dai Kanai

Chef Terada
Tappei Shimokawa

PR Officer
Kazuo Kato

Susumu Wakabayashi
Akio Satake

Minister of Defense
Masanori Irie

Helicopter Pilot
Katsuhiko Sasaki

Kumamoto Shinpo Reporter

Cameraman
Sakae Umezu

Minister of Transport Segi
Koji Kawamura

Kusashita
Kazuya Aoyama

Engineer Ohara
Hideaki Kohara

Pilot Tamura
Tatsuhito Go

Minister of Home Affairs Muramatsu
Masaru Kamiyama

Countermeasure HQ Officer Nakazono
Toshimitsu Kudo

TV Announcer
Ayao Wada

Special Program Announcer
Shinji Nakae

TV Station Engineer
Shosei Muto

Kagoshima Policeman
Takeshi Watabe

Reporter
Kentaro Kaji

Misuga HQ Radio Operator
Saburo Kadowaki

Misuga HQ Staff

TV Location Staff

Kifar
Ken Sanders

Simba
Kei Amoa

Zamba
Willy Dorsey
Rest of Cast Listed Alphabetically

Japan Coast Guard Secretary Arishima
Teppei Takasugi

Reporter