The Submersion of Japan

The Submersion of Japan


日本沈没
Nippon Chinbotsu
Japan Sunk
Also known as Tidal Wave
Director Shiro Moritani
Special Effects Director Teruyoshi Nakano
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Fumio Tanaka
Original Story Sakyo Komatsu
Screenplay Shinobu Hashimoto
Photography Hiroshi Murai
Daisuke Kimura
Music Masaru Sato
Art Yoshiro Muraki
Sound Toshiya Ban
Lighting Kojiro Sato
Assistant Director Koji Hashimoto
Editor Michiko Ikeda
Special Effects Art Yasuyuki Inoue
Production Companies Toho
Release Date December 29, 1973
Runtime 140 minutes

日本沈没
Nippon Chinbotsu
Japan Sunk
Director Shiro Moritani
Special Effects Director Teruyoshi Nakano
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
Fumio Tanaka
Original Story Sakyo Komatsu
Screenplay Shinobu Hashimoto
Photography Hiroshi Murai
Daisuke Kimura
Music Masaru Sato
Art Yoshiro Muraki
Sound Toshiya Ban
Lighting Kojiro Sato
Assistant Director Koji Hashimoto
Editor Michiko Ikeda
Special Effects Art Yasuyuki Inoue
Also known as Tidal Wave
Production Companies Toho
Release Date December 29, 1973
Runtime 140 minutes

Tadokoro, a geologist, investigates the sudden disappearance of a small island off the coast of Japan. He finds that the geological plate supporting the Japanese islands is being pulled under by the Pacific plate, and Japan itself will eventually sink into the ocean. A great earthquake strikes Tokyo, killing millions of people. Despite the mounting evidence and increasing geological activity, the Japanese government is reluctant to take action. Tadokoro goes public with his findings, announcing that Japan will be completely submerged in 10 months.

The Prime Minister is forced to act quickly, negotiating with neighboring countries to take in Japanese refugees. Societal and economic concerns stymie these efforts, and far too few Japanese are able to escape. When Mount Fuji erupts, the submersion begins to accelerate. When the world realizes that Japan has far less time than Tadokoro’s 10 months, their fleets come together in a massive attempt to rescue as many Japanese as possible.

The island of Honshu is ripped in half by another massive earthquake. Rescue efforts are called off in light of the increasingly volatile situation. Several million people remain, unable to flee. The Prime Minister encounters Tadokoro among them; the geologist has decided to remain and die with Japan, and entrusts the minister with the future of their people. Finally, Japan sinks under the ocean, leaving the Japanese race without a homeland.

Top Billed Cast

Keiju Kobayashi
Dr. Yusuke Tadokoro
Tetsuro Tamba
Jinzo Yamamoto
Hiroshi Fujioka
Toshio Onodera
Ayumi Ishida
Reiko Abe
Tadao Nakamaru
Kunieda
Isao Natsuyagi
Tatsuya Yuki
Yuriko Sumi
Hanae
Nobuo Nakamura
Envoy Nozaki
Shigeru Koyama
Hideo Yoshimura
Yusuke Takita
Professor Nobuhiko Yukinaga
Kazuo Kato
Secretary Mimura
Kunio Murai
Kataoka
Goro Tarumi
Secretary of State
Shogen Nitta
Onodera's Brother
Kanta Mori
Minister of Defense
Masaya Takahashi
Professor Yamashiro
Takeo Chii
Helicopter Pilot
Mizuho Suzuki
Minister of Science
Toshio Hosokawa
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Miwa Saito
Mrs. Yamamoto
Tetsuya Kaji
Oceanographer
Tatsuo Matsushita
Minister of Trade
Koji Kawamura
Minister of Construction
Yuzo Hayakawa
Emergency HQ Chief
Tetsu Nakamura
UN Ambassador
Koichi Ito
Foreign Minister
Tsutomu Nakata
Emergency HQ Official
Haruo Suzuki
Helicopter Pilot
Mitsuo Tsuda
Emergency HQ Official
Takuzo Kumagai
Disaster Prevention Center Director
Andrew Hughes
Australian Prime Minister
Hideaki Nitani
Kazunari Nakata
Shogo Shimada
Watari

Rest of Cast Listed Alphabetically

Junpei Natsuki
Refugee on Train
Hitoshi Takeuchi
Professor Hitoshi Takeuchi
Top Billed Cast

Dr. Yusuke Tadokoro

Jinzo Yamamoto
Tetsuro Tamba

Toshio Onodera
Hiroshi Fujioka

Reiko Abe
Ayumi Ishida

Kunieda

Tatsuya Yuki
Isao Natsuyagi

Hanae
Yuriko Sumi

Envoy Nozaki

Hideo Yoshimura
Shigeru Koyama

Professor Nobuhiko Yukinaga
Yusuke Takita

Secretary Mimura
Kazuo Kato

Kataoka
Kunio Murai

Secretary of State
Goro Tarumi

Onodera's Brother
Shogen Nitta

Minister of Defense
Kanta Mori

Professor Yamashiro
Masaya Takahashi

Helicopter Pilot
Takeo Chii

Minister of Science
Mizuho Suzuki

Chief Cabinet Secretary
Toshio Hosokawa

Mrs. Yamamoto
Miwa Saito

Oceanographer
Tetsuya Kaji

Minister of Trade
Tatsuo Matsushita

Minister of Construction
Koji Kawamura

Emergency HQ Chief
Yuzo Hayakawa

UN Ambassador

Foreign Minister
Koichi Ito

Emergency HQ Official
Tsutomu Nakata

Helicopter Pilot

Emergency HQ Official

Disaster Prevention Center Director

Australian Prime Minister

Kazunari Nakata
Hideaki Nitani

Watari
Shogo Shimada
Rest of Cast Listed Alphabetically

Refugee on Train

Professor Hitoshi Takeuchi
Hitoshi Takeuchi
製作
Producer
田中友幸
Tomoyuki Tanaka

田中文雄
Fumio Tanaka
原作
Original Story
小松左京
Sakyo Komatsu

光文社 カッパ・ノベルス
Kobunsha Corporation Kappa Novels
脚本
Screenplay
橋本忍
Shinobu Hashimoto
撮影
Photography
村井博
Hiroshi Murai

木村大作
Daisuke Kimura
音楽
Music
佐藤勝
Masaru Sato
美術
Art
村木与四郎
Yoshiro Muraki
録音
Sound
伴利也
Toshiya Ban
照明
Lighting
佐藤幸次郎
Kojiro Sato
監督助手
Assistant Director
橋本幸治
Koji Hashimoto
編集
Editor
池田美千子
Michiko Ikeda
スチール
Stills
石月美徳
Yoshinori Ishizuki
現像
Developing
東洋現像所
Toyo Laboratory
協力
Cooperation
日本海洋産業株式会社
Japan Marine Industry Co., Ltd.
製作担当者
Production Manager
森知貴秀
Takahide Morichi
特殊技術
Special Effects

撮影
Photography
富岡素敬
Motoyoshi Tomioka
美術
Art
井上泰幸
Yasuyuki Inoue
照明
Lighting
森本正邦
Masakuni Morimoto
光学撮影
Optical Photography
宮西武史
Takeshi Miyanishi
合成
Synthesis
三瓶一信
Kazunobu Sanpei
操演
Physical Effects
松本光司
Koji Matsumoto
監督助手
Assistant Director
田淵吉男
Yoshio Tabuchi
特殊効果
Sound Effects
渡辺忠昭
Tadaaki Watanabe
スチール
Still
田中一清
Kazukiyo Tanaka
整音
Dubing
東宝録音センター
Toho Sound Center
効果
Effects
東宝効果集団
Toho Effects Group
製作担当者
Production Manager
篠田啓助
Keisuke Shinoda
特別スタッフ
Special Staff
竹内均 (東京大学教授)
Takeuchi Hira (Professor, Tokyo University)

奈須紀幸 (東京大学教授)
Nori Nasu (Professor, Tokyo University)

大崎順彦 (東京大学教授)
Haruhiko Osaki (Professor, Tokyo University)

諏訪彰 (気象研究所地震研究部長)
Akira Suwa (Director, Earthquake Research Institute, Meteorological Research Institute)
出演者
Performers


小林桂樹
Keiju Kobayashi

丹波哲郎
Tetsuro Tanba

藤岡弘
Hiroshi Fujioka

いしだあゆみ
Ayumi Ishida

中丸忠雄
Tadao Nakamaru

夏八木勲
Isao Natsuyama

角ゆり子
Yuriko Sumi

中村伸郎
Nobuo Nakamura

神山繁
Shigeru Koyama

滝田裕介
Yusuke Takita

加藤和夫
Kazuo Kato

村井国夫
Kunio Murai

垂水悟郎
Goro Tarumi

新田昌玄
Shogen Nitta

森幹太
Kanta Mori

高橋昌也
Masaya Takahashi

地井武男
Takeo Chii

鈴木瑞穂
Mizuho Suzuki

細川俊夫
Toshio Hosokawa

斉藤美和
Miwa Saito

中条静夫
Shizuo Chusho

森下哲夫
Tetsuo Morishita

梶哲也
Tetsuya Kaji

名古屋章
Akira Nagoya

松下達夫
Tatsuo Matsushita

河村弘二
Koji Kawamura

近藤準
Ken Konda

宮島誠
Makoto Miyajima

大久保正信
Masanobu Okubo

内田稔
Minoru Uchida

早川雄三
Yuzo Hayakawa

和田文夫
Ayao Wada

石井宏明
Hiroaki Ishii

稲垣昭三
Shozo Inagaki

中村哲
Tetsu Nakamura

伊東光一
Koichi Ito

斉藤英雄
Hideo Saito

吉水慶
Kei Yoshimizu

中田勉
Tsutomu Nakata

大木史朗
Shiro Oki

山本武
Takeshi Yamamoto

今井和雄
Kazuo Imai

鈴木治夫
Haruo Suzuki

田中志幸
Shiko Tanaka

永島岳
Gaku Nagashima

津田光男
Mitsuo Tsuda

磐木吉二郎
Kichijiro Iwagi

中島光之助
Konosuke Nakajima

大杉雄二
Yuji Osugi

熊谷卓三
Takuzo Kumagai

小松英三郎
Eizaburo Komatsu

門脇三郎
Saburo Kadowaki

草間璋夫
Akio Kusama

大西康雅
Yasumasa Onishi

服部妙子
Taeko Hattori

林由香
Yuka Hayashi

川口節子
Setsuko Kawaguchi

小林伊津子
Ichiko Kobayashi

高橋久美江
Kumie Takahashi

鳥居功靖
Isao Torii

山野辺敦
Atsushi Yamanobe

アンドリュウ・ヒューズ
Andrew Hughes

バン・ヘンリー
Ban Henry

チャールズ・シームス
Charles Sheems

二谷英明
Hideaki Nitani

島田正吾
Shogo Shimada
特技監督
Special Effects Director
中野昭慶
Teruyoshi Nakano
監督
Director
森谷司郎
Shiro Moritani