Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Japanese pundits protest dolphin film cancellation
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
ADVERTISEMENT
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Asia Pacific
World
Japanese pundits protest dolphin film cancellation
By YURI KAGEYAMA,Associated Press Writer -
Wednesday, June 9
Send
IM Story
Print
TOKYO – Fifty-five journalists, academics and film directors in Japan condemned intimidation and threats that led movie theaters to cancel screenings of "The Cove," a documentary about the slaughter of dolphins in a Japanese village.
Three movie theaters that had been scheduled to show the film later this month canceled their plans last week after receiving a flood of angry phone calls and warnings of protests by nationalists, who have been screaming slogans outside the Tokyo office of the Japanese distributor in recent months.
Protesters criticize the film as a betrayal of Japanese pride.
The American movie, this year's winner of the Academy Award for best documentary, features undercover footage of the dolphin hunt in a Japanese village and documents efforts by Ric O'Barry, a former trainer for the "Flipper" TV series, to stop the slaughter of dolphins for food.
Distributor Unplugged said it was negotiating with dozens of theaters throughout Japan, but no showing has been scheduled so far. The film was shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October, but has not yet opened to the Japanese public.
Movie director Hirokazu Koreeda, journalist Soichiro Tahara and feminist Chizuko Ueno were among the 55 public personalities who signed a protest letter in which they said they were alarmed by the intimidation tactics used to pressure theaters to cancel the planned screenings.
"This is a film that has been widely shown abroad. If the work, which is about Japan, cannot be shown in Japan, it only underlines the weakness of the freedom of speech in Japan," they said in the statement sent to media and Unplugged on Monday.
They said that opinion may be divided on the film, but that meant it should be shown to a wide audience to encourage debate.
Most Japanese have never eaten dolphin meat. But some believe killing dolphins and whales is part of traditional culinary culture and resent the interference of outsiders focused on species protection.
"The work intentionally distorts Japanese people's food culture, and showing this will hurt many people's feelings," one of the protesting nationalist groups, Shuken Kaifuku wo Mezasu Kai, said in a recent statement.
"It's true Japanese may not feel happy about the way they are depicted in this film," Tahara said earlier this week in an interview broadcast on the Internet. "But blocking it is not right."
O'Barry blamed "a small minority of extremists" for the theater cancellations.
"The Japanese people have a right to see it if they want to," he said.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Maalouf wins Spain's Prince of Asturias award AFP - Thursday, June 10
US singer Brown postpones UK gigs after visa ban AFP - Thursday, June 10
Irina Ionesco: from erotica to fashion at 74 AFP - Wednesday, June 9
Swiss festival honors Jia with lifetime award AP - Wednesday, June 9
Japanese pundits protest dolphin film cancellation AP - Wednesday, June 9
News Search
Top Stories
British students given 'sexy high-heel lessons'
Merkel, Sarkozy in joint push for market reform
Russia 'trusts and believes' in the Euro: Putin
Finland slips back into surprise recession
South Africa whips up World Cup frenzy
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Obama 'would have fired BP chief'
Aquino wins Philippine presidential election
Austerity anger grows in Europe
Berlin Air Show takes off with record 'superjumbo' order
Barack's no mug: red-faced Aussies in spelling gaffe
More Most Viewed »
Hubble catches planet being devoured by its star
The point about pain: New study sheds light on acupuncture
US team creates first 'synthetic life'
Paris museum burglar grabs 120-million-dollar art haul
Clashes as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid boat: Hamas TV
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
World Cup 2010
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Wednesday, 9 June 2010 Iran says no talks on nuclear issue if sanctioned
Austerity anger grows in Europe
Google puts 3D models of World Cup stadiums online
Bomb kills 2 US troops; NATO losses at 24 for June
France's ailing Le Monde newspaper seeks saviour
Berlin Air Show takes off with record 'superjumbo' order
Swiss lawmakers reject US-UBS tax evasion deal
High-speed Internet cable to link Europe, W.Africa
Dutchman, suspect in teen's disappearance, confesses murder
Beckham teams up with on Cup coverage
Israel consulting U.S. on probe of Gaza ship raid
|
Mexican Oil Company Lawsuit Accuses U.S. Companies of Theft Conspiracy
Spanish public workers strike against cuts
European court upholds EU's cap on mobile calls abroad
Iran says no talks on nuclear issue if sanctioned
Spain strike ends on downbeat note at Madrid march
|
India needs more Internet infrastructure: report
S.Korean president joins Twitter after poll setback
McDonald's Sales Rise In May On European Strength
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Kills Mexican Teen
Iraqi Kurds seek help to halt Iranian incursion
|
Klan Leader May Have Name Removed From University Dorm
Disney Helps Ocean Conservation Efforts With "Oceans" On Blu-Ray And DVD
U.N. readies Iran sanctions vote
|
GM To Recall 1.5 Million Vehicles
African Union welcomes Eritrea, Djibouti mediation deal
|
White Powder Hikes Calls For Investigation Of May Mosque Bombing
Lehman Looks To Invest $255 Million in New York Building
U.S., France press for Japan-India nuclear deal: report
|
Remastered, Sing-Along Version Of Grease Heads To Select Cities
Vanessa Hudgens Movie "Beastly" Pushed Back To 2011
North Korea can beat Brazil, says 'Asian Rooney'
Ki warns South Korea over World Cup hopes
Greek actor and drama coach Voutsinas dies
Yahoo signs Beckham as brand ambassador
|
Second life for Lacroix creations
Egypt church urges review of remarriage ruling
Mumbai plans world's tallest apartment block
French chefs coax young east European cooks to their best
Japan PM stresses need for fiscal rebuild
Thinking man's mystery: Stolen Descartes letter returned
Time is right for China to reform the yuan: govt researcher
Greek actor and drama coach Voutsinas dies
US singer Brown postpones British gigs after visa ban
Environmental international film fest opens in Brazil
Lebanon activists call for Placebo gig boycott over Israel
Egypt prosecutor dismisses 'Arabian Nights' ban
Cirque du Soleil creates quirky Canada vision for World Expo
New film undoes Joan Rivers' cosmetic makeover
|
Belinda Carlisle memoir captures punk roots, pop stardom
|
Merkel, Sarkozy seeking faster market regulation
'Inchoate' tops list of most-looked-up NY Times words
U.N. council to hit defiant Iran with new sanctions
|
Leading Iran journalist gets 30-year writing ban
Israel set to accept 'quid pro quo' Gaza deal: report
Gunmen attack NATO trucks near Pakistan capital
|
BP buying search terms to point Web surfers to own site
World Cup delight as family says Mandela to attend opener
Gunmen destroy NATO supply trucks in Pakistan
Dutch go to the polls, centre-right liberals lead
UN Security Council to vote on Iran sanctions on Wednesday
New HP printers can print from smartphones
Billion-dollar cocaine seizure in Gambia
U.S. Markets Rise On Late Broad-Based Rally
Obama to offer Gaza aid to Abbas in flotilla aftermath
|
Lady Gaga, Metallica Headline "DJ Hero 2"
Austerity anger grows in Europe
New Japan minister denies office expense misreport
|
South Korea to send aid for children in North
|
Spain strike ends on downbeat note at Madrid march
|
US warms to Ecuador, possibly distancing Venezuela
Killings and repression hit world workers: union report
|
Minimum and maximum temperatures in Celsius
S.Korea general faces arrest for spying: report
S.Korea to ship aid to North despite tensions
Malaysia officials to trap rhino for breeding
S.Korea seeks to cut work hours, boost birth rate
Hulu plans to charge, expand to devices: sources
|
Sprint says it overstated EVO launch day sales
|
Microsoft, Adobe fix security flaws
|
China farmer uses cannon to fight eviction
IMF warns Asia of spillovers from European crisis
Honda says factories in China remain closed
Six China judges hurt in acid attack
Asian computer firms betting on a 3D future
Cautious welcome for Japan's new government
Sinopec to boost refinery output on strong demand
Bhopal: 25 years for justice, even more for clean-up
Rising China wages may end cheap labour: experts
Thai girl, 5, killed in grenade attack
S.Korea jobless rate falls in May for fourth month
Irina Ionesco: from erotica to fashion at 74
Flatulent dog to trumpet Australian mining culture
Drought threatens Thailand's rice crop
Fever pitch: Football's just a game... isn't it?
Foxconn to pass on China wage rises to customers
Beach 'creamers' to pamper French tourists
Sony to film World Cup games in 3D
Spain to reopen access to prehistoric cave paintings
Honda suspends production at 2 China factories
Princess Diana dress fetches over 275,000 dollars in London
Lindsay Lohan's drinking leads to near arrest
|
Emmy-worthy guest performers deliver under pressure
|
Eminem's Recovery album leaks two weeks early
|
In death, Gary Coleman's life takes strange turns
|
Toy Story 3 an inevitable box office smash
|
Erykah Badu sparkles, brighter than ever
|
NATO helicopter shot down in Afghanistan
Finland slips back into surprise recession
Obama to discuss Gaza's plight with Abbas: official
Netanyahu says ready to testify in flotilla inquiry
|
Former Obama Apartment For Rent
North Korea denies sinking South ship in letter to U.N.
|
Copter shot down in Afghanistan; 4 Americans dead
UN to slap fresh sanctions on Iran
NATO helicopter goes down in southern Afghanistan
Israel eases Gaza embargo to allow snack food
|
Tea Party Pick Gets Republican Nod In Race To Unseat Harry Reid
Afghan girls fall ill in class; 20 hospitalized
John Stamos To Join "Glee" As Recurring Guest Star
Massive Fire Prompts Evacuation In Nevada
Rogue trader Jerome Kerviel blasts SocGen risk controls
|
Jesse Williams To Return To "Grey's Anatomy" As Series Regular
Men Armed With Toy Gun Attacked By Intended Victim With Machete
Russia's Putin says thinking about 2012 election
|
Lincoln Emerges Victorious In Arkansas Democratic Runoff
Christians view Syria as haven in unstable region
|
Fiorina, Whitman Win California GOP Primaries
Austerity main issue in Dutch vote
|
Panel Slams FDA's Role As Food Regulator
Fresh farm raids in Zimbabwe: union
Earlier School Start Times May Be Linked With Teen Car Accidents
Bosnia court indicts 3 Serbs over wartime killings
|
Dozens hurt in China labour unrest
50 hurt as China factory workers, security clash
China confirms jail term for quake activist: lawyer
Apple's iPad muscles into corporate Asia after retail buzz
|
BP buys search term oil spill from Google
|
Hitachi hints British train deal could be derailed
Sri Lanka's post-war boom accelerates
Software lets students take exams at leisure
|
Hyundai resumes India production despite strike
Honda hit by strike at 2nd parts factory in China
India vehicle sales jump 39 percent in May
Maalouf wins Spain's Prince of Asturias award
Swiss festival honors Jia with lifetime award
Japanese pundits protest dolphin film cancellation
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights