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The Forgotten Imperial Army
JAPAN · 1963

The Forgotten Imperial Army

Nagisa Oshima
Korean war veterans Japanese imperialism postwar displacement disability and compensation national identity and statelessness
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Synopsis

This documentary examines the plight of Korean veterans who were conscripted into the Japanese imperial army during World War II and later left destitute in postwar Japan. Many, disabled by their service, are denied compensation because of their Korean nationality. Filmed for Japanese television, the work confronts public apathy and exposes the unresolved moral responsibility Japan bears toward th

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